Precious Diamonds
by cleotheo
Summary: With Draco Malfoy determined to make his own way in life and make his own decisions, it brings him into conflict with his father, Lucius. When ultimatums are issued, a divide forms in the Malfoy family, leaving Draco adrift from his parents. Can time heal such deep wounds, and will the key to mending fences be the youngest Malfoy?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N – Welcome to my new story – Precious Diamonds. The story has 27 chapters plus an epilogue.**

**This is another one of my stories which is split into two parts, with part one making up the first half of the story, and part two moving the story on several years. Just a warning, this story – and especially part one – is very dominated by Draco and events in his life. In fact, Hermione doesn't make her first appearance for a few chapters.**

**Updates will be on Mondays and Thursdays.**

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**Part One.**

Black Diamond was the hottest club in Wizarding Britain. Situated in the heart of Wizarding London, it oozed class and elegance and always attracted a good crowd. Even during the week the club was packed, leading to a great atmosphere whenever you ventured into the place. The club was spread out over four separate floors, with each floor offering something different. The club also had several V.I.P areas, and areas that a group could hire for a special occasion.

After two and a half years of planning, the club had now been open for over two years. Already the club was a success and a goldmine, so the two wizards behind the club, Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini, had plans to extend their empire. In fact the entire thing had been Blaise's brainchild, and he'd convinced his best friend to join him in the venture the second they left school. While Blaise was the face of the business, and he had all the creative ideas, Draco was the solid businessman behind the scenes who ensured that they were making a profit. Draco also kept Blaise under control as his plans to extend were often the main topic of conversation. If Blaise had gotten his own way he would have had a second club before the first one even took off, however Draco was more pragmatic and he convinced his friend that before they expanded they needed to be a hundred percent sure they weren't going to fail and end up in all sorts of trouble.

Two years later, Draco was ready to admit their club was a success and they could start looking at expansion. Although in the two years they'd been running the club, Blaise had decided that they shouldn't just stick to nightclubs. He had plans to open bars, casinos, restaurants and possibly even a hotel. Basically Blaise figured they could take the hospitality industry in the wizarding world by storm and become an international brand. Even though Draco agreed with his friend that they were onto a good thing, he was still more cautious than Blaise and he was waiting for the perfect opportunity to expand.

One rainy Wednesday afternoon, Blaise presented him with the perfect opportunity when he took Draco to view an old shop up for rent in Diagon Alley. As Blaise walked Draco through the site, he spelled out his ideas to turn the place into a chic wine bar.

"I was thinking we could keep with the diamond theme," Blaise said. "That way there's a connection with all out businesses."

"Sounds good," Draco replied with a nod. "We could keep the colour theme going as well."

"Yeah, we can have a red diamond, green diamond, blue diamond," Blaise enthused.

"I get the point Blaise," Draco chuckled, stopping his friend before he listed every colour under the sun.

"So what do you say?" Blaise asked. "Is this what you've been waiting for?"

"It is," Draco confirmed with a nod. "I'll get the ball rolling and we can buy the place."

"Excellent," Blaise said with a grin. "I've got such plans for this place."

"I'd love to stay and hear more, but I'm due at the manor for dinner this evening. It's Mother's birthday and I still have to get her present," Draco replied.

"I can start making some plans," Blaise suggested.

"Sounds good," Draco said. "If it's not too late after dinner, I'll pop by the club."

"I'll be there," Blaise replied. "Speaking of which, I better get back there. Catch you later, Draco."

Saying goodbye to his friend, Draco spent the rest of the afternoon putting an offer in on the building they wanted. With plans for the business expansion underway, Draco headed off to buy a present for his mother, before he went home to his penthouse to get ready for dinner with his parents.

Dinner wasn't something Draco was particularly looking forward to as things were a bit tense between himself and his father these days. Lucius had expected Draco to join the family business when he'd left Hogwarts, so he'd been less than impressed when Draco went into business with Blaise. Ever since there had been a fair bit of tension between father and son, but Draco could put up with his father's snide remarks in order to celebrate his mother's birthday. He could always hope that one day Lucius might actually admit he was wrong and that Draco had made a success on his life.

When Draco arrived at the manor he gave his mother her birthday gift, a diamond necklace, and the family settled down for a nice family meal. Thankfully, there were no snide remarks from Lucius as the three Malfoys enjoyed a delicious meal in peace. Draco's business did come up in conversation, but Lucius kept his opinions to himself as Draco informed his parents about the planned expansion of their business.

Unfortunately the peace didn't last as no sooner had dinner finished than Lucius asked his son to step into his study so they could talk. Hoping that his father wasn't going to start on his business again, Draco followed Lucius into his luxurious study.

"Fire-whisky?" Lucius asked, heading straight over the side table where he kept his liquor.

"No thank you," Draco replied. "I'd rather just get on with this."

"Get on with what?" Lucius asked as he poured himself a large glass of his favourite fire-whisky.

"Whatever lecture you're about to give me now," Draco replied as he slumped down in one of the seats in front of his father's desk. "I assume this is another dig at my business."

"Owning a seedy club is not a business," Lucius snorted as he sat down in his chair and faced his son. "It's a whim, Draco, and quite frankly it's time you grew up and stopped playing with Blaise. You left school five years ago, and you're still acting like the eighteen year old you were back then. It's time you grew up and took your rightful place in the family business."

"I don't want to take over the family business," Draco protested. "I want to make my own way in the world, and I am. Our club is not seedy, and it's just the start of our empire. I've just told you that we've started making moves to acquire a new property."

"To turn into a bar," Lucius sneered, clearly unimpressed with what his son was planning.

"Yes, our second business will be a bar," Draco replied.

"You're better than this, Draco," Lucius hissed. "Blaise may be content to run bars and clubs, but you're destined for greater things."

"Why, because I'm a Malfoy?" Draco snorted.

He'd long since gotten over his ideas that he his family were better than others because of their name, fortune and blood status. In fact it had been Blaise who had helped Draco see the error of his ways back in school, and he would forever be grateful to his friend for helping him get over his snobbery. Unfortunately, Lucius still held the beliefs he'd had his entire life and he considered their family special and above almost every other wizarding family in the country.

"Yes, because you're a Malfoy and Malfoys don't own businesses like bars and clubs," Lucius retorted. "Businesses like those are destined to fail, and Malfoys don't fail. If you don't get out now, you'll end up in trouble. When the business fails, it'll be your reputation on the line. Our family's reputation on the line."

"You mean your reputation," Draco spat. "And thanks for the vote of confidence. My business will not fail."

"You don't know that, Draco," Lucius shot back.

"No, I don't," Draco conceded. Even though he had faith in the business, he wasn't foolish enough to think there wasn't a small chance of failure. "But I have faith things will carry on the way they have been. We've got good ideas, and a solid base to expand our business from."

"It'll all go wrong, Draco, mark my words," Lucius cautioned.

"Thanks for your support," Draco snapped as he got to his feet. "But I'm going before I say something I'll regret."

"Don't," Lucius called as his son turned towards the door. "We haven't discussed what I wanted to talk to you about."

"What? You've got more to say about my business?" Draco asked as he whirled back around to face his father.

"I never intended to discuss your business," Lucius said. "You brought that topic up. I wish to discuss the rest of your life."

"The rest of my life?" Draco frowned. "Are you now going to criticise the fact I've moved out?"

The fact Draco no longer resided at the manor was yet another bone of contention between Lucius and Draco. Lucius had been against the move, and he'd made it clear that in his opinion Draco should remain in the family home. However, Draco had been adamant that he wanted his freedom and using some of the inheritance that he'd come into on his seventeenth birthday he'd bought himself a luxury penthouse in the same building as Blaise.

"You know my feelings on that," Lucius muttered. "I wish to discuss your personal life. You're not getting any younger Draco. It's time you were settling down and starting a family. You need to provide the family with an heir."

"I'm twenty three, I'm hardly over the hill," Draco retorted.

"Maybe not, but you're not exactly ready to settle down either," Lucius shot back. "Have you even had a serious girlfriend since school? No, you're content to follow Blaise and sleep around."

"I'll settle down when I'm ready," Draco replied. "When I meet the right witch."

"You sound like a girl, Draco," Lucius snorted. "There is no right witch, just a suitable witch. Look at Theodore. He's your age, he's married with a son and he has a second child on the way. He's a credit to his family."

Draco snorted at his father using Theo Nott as an example of the perfect son. Theo was actually a good friend of Draco's, and he'd married Pansy Parkinson a few months after they left Hogwarts. The marriage was an arranged one, and while Draco knew Theo and Pansy were actually now quite happy together, it hadn't always been that way. Theo hadn't wanted to marry Pansy, he just didn't have the balls to stand up to his father. So he'd done as his father had wanted, married Pansy and now eventually had accepted it was his fate in life to be a perfect husband and father.

"You want me to be like Theo?" Draco asked. "Married to a witch he couldn't stand at first?"

"Not everything in life is hearts and flowers, Draco," Lucius said. "As you said, it was only at first. They seem perfectly content now. But the truth of it is as a pure-blood, you have a duty to carry on the family line. I've let you sow your oats while you're young, but it's now time to stop. It's time you settled down with a nice pure-blood girl and had a son. The family name needs to continue."

"And it will, when I meet and fall in love with the right witch," Draco said firmly. "I will not marry some witch just because she's a pure-blood and you think it's time I settled down and gave you a grandson. You need to learn that you can't control my life, not any more. I'm an adult, and I can do what the hell I like. I can run whatever business I like, and I can settle down and get married in my own time, to a witch of my own choosing."

Knowing Lucius would just continue trying to lay the law down, and get him to bend to his will, Draco quickly exited his father's study before things got out of hand and things were said that couldn't be taken back. Finding his mother in the front room, Draco said goodbye and wished her a 'happy birthday', before leaving the manor and heading to the club.

"How was it?" Blaise asked when Draco entered the office.

"Just great," Draco muttered, collapsing into the chair behind his desk. "Father thinks we're wasting our time and we'll go under. He also thinks it's time I settled down with a nice pure-blood witch and had kids."

"Let's guess, he held Theo up as the perfect example," Blaise chuckled.

He'd long since known that Draco's father preferred Theo over him. While Theo was the perfect little pure-blood, Blaise was a rebel and in Lucius's eyes he'd led his son astray. Blaise had never adhered to the pure-blood ideals Draco and Theo had been brought up with, and while he'd helped Draco think for himself, he hadn't been able to do the same for Theo. Even though Theo was still a good friend, he was very much under his father's thumb and now Pansy's as she very much ruled the roost in their marriage. Draco on the other hand lived his own life and even though Blaise knew he respected Lucius, he didn't allow his father to dictate how he was going to live his life.

"Of course he did," Draco replied with a chuckle of his own. "Anyway I told him he's not getting his way on this and that's the end of it."

"You hope," Blaise warned ominously. He wanted to believe that Lucius would drop the subject, but something told Blaise this was only the beginning for Draco as his father tried to marry him off to a nice pure-blood girl.


	2. Chapter 2

Thankfully Draco and Blaise encountered no problems with buying the shop in Diagon Alley, and just over two weeks after Blaise had shown Draco the premises they were back in Diagon Alley to oversee the beginning of the construction work. Blaise was still finalising the details of the bar, but before they could begin anything the current fittings had to be ripped out. In fact the entire place was going to be gutted and cleaned out before they started to turn the space into the elegant place they were both envisioning.

As they oversaw the work, the pair talked about various ways to transform the building into what they wanted. They also spoke about what they were going to name the place, as that would have an effect on the décor and some potential fittings. Their club for example had the black element running through the entire place. All the business cards, posters and other paperwork were printed on a glossy black background with the diamond emblem. Even the club itself had its fair share of black fixtures and fittings, although it wasn't overdone and they did use other colours in their décor.

"I'm thinking red," Blaise said. "Red Diamond Wine Bar."

"Red could work," Draco mused with a nod.

If they used red, the sign outside would be red, all the advertising would be printed on red, and it would be easy enough to establish a red theme inside the bar. They could have a red bar, or red chairs and of course it was easy to incorporate red elsewhere in the décor.

"I think it's my favourite option," Blaise said. "I've considered a few other colours, but I think with the type of place we're wanting to set up, red is the best answer."

"I agree," Draco said. "Red it is."

"Excellent, we can start ordering fittings with the colour choice made," Blaise replied.

"We need to do a fair bit more before we order any fittings," Draco warned his friend. "We still need to finalise the design of the bar."

Nodding his head, Blaise started reeling off ideas as they stood in the doorway of the building, watching the place be stripped bare. Half an hour later they were starting to get a feel of how the place was going to look, so they decided to take a break and head outside to grab some air.

Diagon Alley was slowly changing, the existing shops were being updated and new shops were constantly springing up. The previous year the street had even been extended, and it was definitely a good place to be opening a new business. At the moment the street had a few cafés, but no bars. The only place to get an alcoholic drink was at The Leaky Cauldron, and while Diagon Alley had evolved, the old pub had not. It was still rather shabby and run down, and the only customers it did attract were those already shopping at Diagon Alley. However, Draco and Blaise were hoping that people would come to Diagon Alley especially to visit Red Diamond.

Out in the street, Blaise and Draco began to envision what the place would look like from the outside. As they were talking about potentially changing the windows so it was one long window, rather than the two separate ones it was now, they heard someone call their names from down the street. Even without turning around they recognised the voice as belonging to their friend, Pansy Parkinson, or Parkinson-Nott as she was now. Back in school both Draco and Blaise had gotten along rather well with Pansy, in fact Draco had briefly dated the raven haired witch, however since marrying Theo she'd turned into a complete and utter snob. Basically these days she was the perfect pureblood wife. But she was still their friend, and at the end of the day their friendship would still survive in the face of Pansy's snobbishness.

"Draco, Blaise," Pansy greeted, enveloping both wizards in a cloud of cloying perfume as she gave them both a hug and an air kiss to the cheek. "How great to see you both. What are you doing here?"

"This is our new place," Blaise answered.

"This place?" Pansy asked with a disgusted frown. "It's hardly high end, is it? I'm only here to pick up some ink for Theodore. I wouldn't come here for any other reason these days."

"Not everyone is a snob, Pansy," Blaise retorted. "Diagon Alley is still pretty happening, and it's getting better all the time."

"If you say so," Pansy sniffed, not sounding at all convinced. "Although I still don't think it's an ideal place for a nightclub."

"This isn't going to be a club, it's going to be a wine bar," Draco supplied.

"Oh, now that's different," Pansy said, changing her attitude at the thought of a wine bar opening up. In fact it sounded the ideal place to unwind after a day's shopping.

"So how are you, Pans?" Draco asked, deliberately shortening his friend's name. Back in school she had no problem with people calling her Pans, but since marrying into the Notts she'd adopted their policy of never shortening someone's name. Theo was now Theodore, and their poor son Max, always got his full name, Maximilian.

"I'm fine thank you, Draco," Pansy replied stiffly, frowning at the shortening of her name.

"And Theo?" Draco asked.

"Theodore is also fine," Pansy replied.

"And how's little Max?" Blaise asked with a mischievous grin. "Where is the cutie?"

"Maximilian is at home with his nanny," Pansy answered.

"That's a shame. It's such a nice day, I'm sure he would have enjoyed the fresh air," Draco said.

"He'll get fresh air at home, his nanny takes him out quite regularly," Pansy replied.

Draco had to sigh at the way Pansy just dismissed her son. Pansy wasn't a natural mother, and she'd palmed her son off onto a nanny almost as soon as he'd been born. Both Draco and Blaise knew she'd had a child as it was expected of her, and they both suspected her latest pregnancy was an accident on her and Theo's part. Not that either of their friends would admit such a thing, but it was blatantly clear that a second child hadn't been something either of them had expected.

"And how's the pregnancy?" Blaise asked, checking his friend out and finding very little outwards evidence that Pansy was expecting. Because he knew her well, he could see she was slightly bigger than normal, but to most people her pregnancy wouldn't be noticeable.

"It's just awful," Pansy moaned. "I've been trying to find a dress for my parents' anniversary party at the weekend and everything makes me look like a whale."

"I'm sure that's not true," Draco said kindly. Like Blaise he could just barely tell she was pregnant, so as usual it seemed like Pansy was just being a drama queen.

"It is," Pansy replied with a sigh. "You'll see for yourselves on Saturday night. Just look for the whale, and it'll be me."

"Saturday night?" Blaise repeated with a confused frown.

"Don't say you've forgotten the party, Blaise," Pansy scolded, giving her friend a harsh glare.

"Of course we haven't," Draco said, offering Pansy a smile as he took the heat off his friend. Chances were Blaise had forgotten the party as it wasn't exactly his scene. However, he'd received an invite along with Draco as they were friends with Pansy.

"We'll be there, Pans," Blaise promised, even as he was wondering just what excuse he could find the cut the evening short.

"Don't forget. I know Theodore is looking forward to seeing you both," Pansy said.

"And we're looking forward to seeing him," Draco returned. It seemed like an age since they'd last seen Theo, so it would be nice to have a catch up with their friend.

"I best be off," Pansy said as she checked the time. "I've got a manicure in half an hour."

"Ah, the life of a pampered pureblood princess," Blaise muttered as Pansy darted off to go about her business.

"And my father wants me to marry someone like that," Draco said with a grimace.

Just talking to Pansy was a reminder of everything Draco didn't want in a wife. He didn't want to be with someone who would spend their days shopping and pampering themselves. And he certainly didn't want a wife who would hand their son over to a nanny and ignore him all day. Not that Theo was much better as even though he was always complaining about the lack of time he spent with his son, he never changed things. He was happy to let the nanny take charge and if she told him he was disturbing his son's routine, he would just slouch away without spending time with his son. Although Theo had been brought up the same way with nannies doing the actual parenting.

For all their faults, Draco at least had to admit that his parents hadn't been that neglectful when he was a child. In many ways, Narcissa was the typical pureblood wife, but at least she'd looked after Draco herself and when Lucius had come home from work he had always spent time with Draco. In fact the only time Draco had spent with a nanny or babysitter when he was growing up was when his parents had gone out on an evening. Aside from that he was very much raised by his parents.

"If I ever get involved with someone like Pansy, do me a favour and kill me," Draco said to Blaise.

"Likewise," Blaise said with a chuckle.

Turning back to the shop, the pair were just about to head back inside to check on the work when they spotted a couple of redheads standing nearby watching the action inside the shop with curiosity. Even though Draco couldn't remember the pair's names, he knew the redheads were the Weasley twins. The twins had been well known in Hogwarts for their ingenious inventions, and that shop they'd opened up in Diagon Alley before Draco's sixth year was a roaring success. In fact, Draco had heard that the pair had recently expanded into Hogsmeade.

"Hi," Blaise greeted the pair with a friendly wave as he approached the two wizards.

"Hi," Fred Weasley returned with a friendly smile. "Sorry for being nosey, we're just checking out the new neighbours."

"Oh yeah, your shop is just down the street isn't it?" Blaise said.

"It is," George confirmed. "We're not going to have a rival business on our hands, are we?" He asked jokingly.

"Not unless you've started selling alcohol," Draco replied with a slight chuckle. "We're opening a bar."

"Excellent, somewhere decent to get a drink after work," Fred enthused.

"How do you know it's going to be decent?" Blaise questioned. "We might not be any good at running a bar."

"If it's anything like your club, it'll be great," George replied. "We were in there last week, and it's a great place."

"Thanks," Draco said. "Feel free to pop back once the work starts to see how things are taking shape."

"We will," Fred said. "And welcome to the neighbourhood."

"Nice lads," Blaise remarked as the twins said their goodbyes and headed off back to their shop.

"Yeah, they seem alright," Draco agreed.

"Better than their brother," Blaise said with a chuckle.

Draco and Blaise had been in the same years at Hogwarts as the twins' younger brother, Ron, and it was fair to say that they hadn't gotten on with the redhead. Tensions between the Malfoys and Weasleys were strong to start with, and Ron had taken an instant dislike to Draco. Not that Draco was over keen on Ron, and he spent his early years at Hogwarts doing his best to make his life miserable. However, by the time they'd left school the animosity had lessened, although Draco doubted he would ever be friends with the redhead. Not that it really mattered as he didn't see where Ron would ever enter into his life again. As far as Draco knew, he ran his brothers shop in Hogsmeade and was happily engaged to Lavender Brown.

"Let's get back on," Blaise said. "We've got work to do."

"Yes, we have," Draco agreed as he followed his friend and business partner back into their new building to check on the work. Between building a new business from scratch and keeping their current one running smoothly, it was going to be a busy time for the pair and they had a lot of work in front of them.


	3. Chapter 3

As Draco waited for Blaise to finish getting ready, he tuned out his best friend's ramblings. Blaise was moaning about giving up his Saturday night to attend the Parkinsons anniversary party.

"It's not even as if I like them," Blaise muttered. "And they look down on me, just like the rest of the snobby pure-blood set."

Even though Draco technically belonged to the snobby pure-blood set Blaise was referring to, he didn't take his friend's comments to heart as he knew Blaise wasn't talking about him or their other friends. Blaise was referring to his parents and the parents of their friends, and sadly Draco knew he was right about people looking down on him. Even though Blaise claimed to be a pure-blood, he had no real proof as his father had abandoned Blaise and his mother when Blaise was just a child. Then Blaise's mother had taken to marrying wealthy wizards at an alarming rate, which was frowned upon by the conservative pure-blood set. All in all Blaise wasn't overly popular among the parents of his friends, but he was included on evenings like these as it was deemed impolite to ignore him.

Because Blaise felt as though he didn't belong, evenings like the one he was getting ready to attend was an inconvenience and a hassle. Draco himself wasn't looking forward to the evening, but he'd had years of attending boring parties with his parents. He'd grown up attending parties and playing the part of the perfect son, so he was slightly more at ease about the evening than Blaise.

"Maybe I can invent an emergency at the club?" Blaise suggested as he turned to Draco. "What do you think?"

"You could always try," Draco replied. "But it might not be so bad."

"It's the Parkinsons, it's going to be bad," Blaise replied with a snort. "I always thought it was a miracle they'd managed to have a daughter as normal as Pansy, but now they've even turned her into the perfect pure-blood wife."

"I think that was more the Notts actually," Draco said. "Pansy's changed to fit in with the family she married into."

"Theo's not a snob," Blaise argued.

"Not around us, but you know what's he's like when his family are around, he becomes perfect little Theodore," Draco pointed out. "I mean come on, until you called him Theo in first year, he'd never had his name shortened. Like it or not, when his family are around, Theo is the perfect pure-blood."

"Thank Merlin I got you to rebel," Blaise chuckled. "Just think how boring my life would be if you were also a perfect pure-blood."

"Malfoys are always perfect," Draco retorted with a smirk.

"Face it Draco, you're a rebel," Blaise said with a grin. "If your father had his way, you would be working with him, married to some boring witch with a son and heir. Instead you're here with me, living the high life. We've got a business that's actually interesting and we're both quite content to play the field instead of settling down."

"The difference is, I plan on settling down at some point," Draco argued. "I do want a wife and children, I just want to pick my own partner."

"You never know the right witch might be just around the corner," Blaise said. "Of course, unless she's a pure-blood your father might not think she's the right witch."

"It's got nothing to do with my father," Draco replied. "He's just going to have to learn to keep his nose out of my business."

"Like that's ever going to happen," Blaise laughed. "Are you ready?"

"Let's go," Draco answered, wondering if his father would be able to keep his nose out of his private life.

Draco got the answer less than an hour later at the Parkinsons party. After arriving at the soiree, Draco and Blaise had managed a quick chat with Theo before their friend was whisked away by Pansy. They'd also managed to briefly chat to another few of their friends as they traversed the room. However, once they ran into Draco's parents, Lucius grabbed Draco to introduce him to an old friend from Canada that he was planning on doing a spot of business with. Initially Draco had thought he was just meeting one of Lucius's old friends, but then he suddenly produced a daughter.

"Draco this is Caitlyn," Lucius said, smirking slightly at his son. "Since she knows no-one here, I thought you could show her around."

"The house?" Draco asked, deliberately misunderstanding his father.

"No, wizarding Britain," Lucius replied, shooting his son an unimpressed look. "Take her out and show her the sights. Help Caitlyn get acclimatised to life in Britain."

"That would be so lovely," Caitlyn said, clutching onto Draco's arm and batting her eyelashes at the handsome blond wizard. She'd been unimpressed when her father had mentioned trying to set her up with the son of an old friend, but now she'd seen Draco with her own eyes she was more than happy with the set up.

"I'm sure I can spare some time," Draco said reluctantly. He could spot Lucius's set up a mile off, but it wasn't Caitlyn's fault, and she seemed nice enough so he saw no reason to be rude. He could spare her a few hours of his time and let her down gently.

"Why don't you two go off and have a dance together," Lucius suggested.

"Oh, do you dance?" Caitlyn asked Draco. "I just love to dance."

"My son is quite the dancer," Lucius answered for Draco. "Don't take no for an answer, get him onto the dance floor."

Backed into a corner, Draco had no choice but to take Caitlyn's hand and head onto the dance floor with her. Since the party was a traditional party, it meant formal dancing and luckily Draco's upbringing had ensured he was a good dancer. He swept Caitlyn effortlessly around the floor as she chatted on, telling him about her life in Canada. Draco tried his best to listen to the chatter, but it was very clear she was the same sort of vapid witch he didn't want to get involved with.

Unfortunately for Draco, Caitlyn well and truly latched onto him and it took him several dances and over an hour to get rid of her. Even then he had to promise to meet her in Diagon Alley the following afternoon and show her the sights.

"Nice time?" Blaise chuckled when Draco finally got away from the witch his father was trying to set him up with.

"I am going to kill my father," Draco muttered through clenched teeth as he grabbed a fire-whisky off a passing waiter.

"Let's guess, she was a boring little witch with one topic of conversation," Blaise remarked.

"She seemed perfectly normal at first," Draco replied. "But when she started talking it was all about her. I was stuck with her for over an hour and she never asked one question about me and my life."

"I'm sure she knows all she needs to know about you," Blaise said.

"And just what's that?" Draco questioned.

"That you're rich, single and hot," Blaise answered, ticking the points off on his fingers.

"And are those the only assets I have?" Draco asked with a fake pout.

"They're the only ones some people care about," Blaise retorted with a shrug.

"True," Draco replied with a sigh.

Grabbing some fresh drinks the pair headed outside to grab some air. Outside in the garden they came across Theo, sitting morosely on one of the benches in the garden.

"What's wrong?" Blaise asked as he and Draco sat down on either side of their friend.

"Nothing, I just hate these things," Theo confided.

"Join the club," Blaise said. "These things are just boring. These people need to learn how to party."

"Next you'll be suggesting we get them down to the club," Draco said with a laugh.

"Speaking of which, you need to visit us one of these days," Blaise said to Theo. These days they had a hard time getting Theo to the club as he was well and truly under Pansy's thumb and going to a club wasn't deemed suitable behaviour for a well-respected pure-blood.

"Chance would be a fine thing," Theo replied with a wistful sigh. "It would be different if I was involved with the running of the club. Even Pansy couldn't protest to my visits then."

"You can't say you didn't have the chance, Theo," Blaise gently pointed out.

Even though it had been his initial idea to have a chain of clubs, pubs and other fun places, he'd approached both Draco and Theo to join him in business. His idea had been for the three of them to work together and create a massive brand of leisure and hospitality venues. However, unlike Draco, Theo hadn't been able to stand up to his father. He'd been suckered into getting a boring accountancy job at a high end potions firm, as well as marrying Pansy and settling down. Whereas Draco had stood up to Lucius, joined Blaise in business and never regretted it. Unlike Theo who was stuck in a life he didn't always enjoy.

"I need to be more assertive," Theo whined.

"It wouldn't hurt," Draco said. He didn't want to offend Theo, but he felt his friend needed to be more assertive in several areas of his life.

"Starting with Pansy," Theo continued. "I need to stop letting her control everything."

"Sometimes it's good to give up control to a witch," Blaise said with a suggestive smirk. "Providing the witch knows what she's doing of course."

"Pansy knows what's she's doing in that department," Theo replied with a smirk of his own. His marriage may not have been brought about because of love, even though he would now admit to loving his domineering wife, but the sexual side of things had always been pretty explosive. Which could be why she was pregnant again even though they'd never had any intention of having a second child.

"Speaking of Pansy, how's her pregnancy?" Draco asked, swiftly changing the subject. He'd never really been comfortable listening to Theo allude to his sex life with Pansy for some reason.

"It's killing me," Theo moaned. "She's barely four months gone and it's been the longest four months of my life. Everything I do is wrong. I swear she wasn't this hormonal last time."

"And that my friends is one of the many reasons I plan on staying single," Blaise said. "I have no desire to tie myself to a witch, as they all turn on you in the end."

"Not all women are the same, Blaise," Draco replied.

"They are in my experience," Blaise said with a shrug.

"You need some new experiences," Draco muttered. He knew his best friend's outlook on women was coloured by his experiences with his mother and her many marriages, and he often thought that Blaise would end up missing out on a good relationship because of that.

"I'm happy with the experiences I have," Blaise replied. "And the ones to come. I'm just not stupid enough to tie myself to one witch for the rest of my life."

"Some of us had no choice," Theo grumbled, even if deep down he knew that he wouldn't really want to change who he was married to.

"You had a choice Theo, you just chose to take the safe path," Blaise argued.

"I wouldn't call life with Pansy the safe path," Theo retorted. "The woman is damn scary at times."

"That she is," Blaise conceded with a nod. "I bet Max is terrified of her."

"Max barely knows her," Theo snorted. He may have grown to love Pansy, but he couldn't deny her deficiencies as a mother. "Hell, he barely knows me. By the time I've finished work, he's getting ready for bed and I can't interrupt his routine. Sometimes I feel like I don't know my own son."

"Get to know him then," Draco urged his friend. "You know what's it like to grow up with a distant father, Theo, don't let Max suffer the same fate."

Unlike Draco, who'd always had Lucius to rely on, Theo's father had been less involved with his son's life. Like Max, Theo had a nanny and she'd practically raised him. Draco knew how much Theo had despised growing up like that, so he wasn't sure why he was letting the same thing happen with his son. Even if Pansy did insist on having a nanny, it didn't meant Theo couldn't be there for his son when he wasn't working.

"You know what, I won't," Theo said with determination. "I'm going to take control of my life. I'm going to spend more time with my son, whether Pansy likes it or not."

"Good for you, Theo," Blaise said, clapping his friend on the back just as Pansy appeared in the doorway leading into the house.

"Theodore," she called shrilly. "Come here."

"Duty calls," Theo said as he got to his feet and obediently followed his wife back into her parents' large house.

"Wow, I've never seen someone lose a backbone so quick," Blaise remarked once Draco and he were alone again.

"You know Theo, he talks a big game but when push comes to shove he just wants an easy life," Draco replied with a shrug.

"Just promise me you won't do the same," Blaise pleaded with his friend. "Tell me you won't let your father's matchmaking schemes work. Tell me you won't settle for one of these witches purely to get him off your back."

"Don't worry Blaise, I'm not settling down until I meet the love of my life," Draco vowed, little realising he was soon about to have an encounter with the witch who would one day become his wife.


	4. Chapter 4

As promised, Draco met Caitlyn in Diagon Alley to show her the sights of wizarding Britain. Despite the fact the entire thing was a set-up by his father, Draco had decided to give Caitlyn a chance. Sure, at the Parkinsons party she seemed pretty shallow and self-obsessed, but Draco was hoping there was more to the attractive witch than that. Maybe in a more relaxed setting he could discover the real Caitlyn.

Sadly for Draco it quickly became clear that he'd met the real Caitlyn at the Parkinsons party. There really was very little else to her other than her vapid chit chat, and sense of self-importance. Even though Draco tried to make the tour interesting and engage Caitlyn in meaningful discussions, he still only really got a response from the Canadian witch when she was talking about herself.

Finally, after almost two hours of torture for Draco, Caitlyn finally asked him about his own life. She asked him about why he was still single, and she didn't seem impressed when he told her that he wasn't going to settle down with anyone he didn't love.

"Love is overrated," she declared. "Smart people marry someone's who's a good match, and can bring something to the union, whether they love them or not."

"Even so, I'm waiting until I find the right witch to settle down with," Draco replied.

"If you wait too long all the decent witches will be snapped up," Caitlynn pointed out. "You're not getting any younger, Draco."

"I'm hardly over the hill," Draco answered through clenched teeth. First Lucius had mentioned his age and now Caitlyn, both implying he was getting past it when he hadn't yet reached twenty five.

"Most pure-blood marriages happen between the late teens and mid-twenties," Caitlyn replied. "If you're not careful you'll wind up stuck with some old hag who no-one else would marry."

"I don't see a ring on your finger, and you're no old hag," Draco argued.

"Yes, but I'm two years younger than you," Caitlyn replied with a sickly smile. "I still have time to find myself a perfect husband."

"And I'm sure you will, it just won't be me," Draco muttered under his breath.

If Caitlyn heard Draco's remark she didn't respond, instead she twisted the topic back around to her favourite topic - herself. Draco managed to put up with Caitlyn's boring stories for nearly another hour before he suggested they head to Black Diamond for an early evening drink.

"I really should check on the place anyway," he added. "I need to keep Blaise under control."

"A club?" Caitlyn repeated, her face twisting into a mask of disapproval. "Why would you need to check on a club?"

"Because it's half mine," Draco replied. "I own it alongside Blaise. Although Black Diamond is only the first stage of our empire."

"But what about the family business?" Caitlyn questioned. "I was under the impression the Malfoys ran a large, successful company, not seedy little clubs."

"My father runs the family business," Draco answered snappishly. "I have my own business with Blaise. And for the record, Black Diamond is not a seedy little club. We're the hottest place in London."

"Seedy or not, clubs really aren't my thing," Caitlynn responded primly.

"And spoilt little princesses aren't really my thing," Draco snapped back, finally losing his patience with the annoying witch his father had foisted on him. "Sorry Caitlyn, but this is never going to happen."

"Too right," Caitlyn agreed with a sneer. "I can do better than some jumped up club owner who thinks he's so hot. I want a husband with ambition, not one who's still stuck as an overgrown teenager."

And with that the date came to an abrupt halt. Caitlyn headed off back to her father's luxury penthouse, while Draco headed to Black Diamond. Even for early on a Sunday evening the club was starting to fill up as Draco quickly toured the place to check everything was running smoothly before he headed for the office. When Draco opened the door to the office, he found Blaise reclining on the large black sofa in the corner of the room while a witch he'd never seen before knelt in front of his best friend, her bobbing head indicating just what she was doing for Blaise.

Clearing his throat, Draco stood in the doorway as Blaise slowly opened his eyes and looked at his friend. As for the witch, she didn't seem to react to Draco's presence, she just continued to deal with Blaise's needs.

"Busy?" Draco asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Nearly done," Blaise replied in a slight moan.

"I'll be back in ten minutes," Draco said as he turned away, shaking his head at his friend.

"Make it twenty," Blaise called after Draco as the blond swung the door to the office closed.

It was actually over half an hour before Draco returned to the office, and when he tentatively re-entered the office he was pleased to find Blaise was alone. His mystery witch was gone, and Blaise was seated at his desk, going over some designs for the wine bar.

"Sorry for interrupting earlier," Draco said, settling down on the sofa, although he kept to the opposite side to which his friend had been lounging on.

"It's my fault, I thought I'd locked the door," Blaise replied with an unconcerned shrug.

"What did you do with the girl, get rid of her as soon as she was done?" Draco asked.

"What do you think I am, Draco?" Blaise tutted with a smirk. "I returned the favour then shagged her senseless and arranged to meet her later. How was your date?"

"There was no shagging anyone senseless," Draco replied. "In fact, she was lucky she survived the afternoon intact. She was every bit as mind-numbingly boring as she appeared last night, and worst of all she looked down on me for running a seedy little club."

"Black Diamond is not a seedy little club," Blaise declared, rather offended by the remarks. He and Draco had worked hard to make sure their club was tasteful and respectful, and he resented people claiming otherwise.

"That's what I said," Draco replied. "Anyway, I'll not be seeing her again. I made it clear I wasn't interested, as did she."

"So what happens now, are you going to just wait until your father sets you up again?" Blaise asked.

"It won't happen again," Draco replied, even though deep down he knew his friend was right and his father wouldn't just give up on his quest to see him married. He would just have to find a way to stop Lucius from setting him up with insipid, pure-blood witches who bored him to death.

**{}{}{}{}{}**

After the shop in Diagon Alley had been completely gutted, the work then started on fixing a few minor problems and redesigning the space. Of course the fixtures and fittings hadn't yet been ordered, but the design of the bar had been settled on. Then there were the necessary changes that were required to change the building from a former shop into a wine bar. Aside from the bar space itself, and some alteration to the floor space, the bar needed bathrooms fitting along with a stock room designed for drinks. Then there was the staff areas and an office space where Draco and Blaise could work from.

While Blaise would be the one to oversee the actual designing of the bar, Draco was the one overseeing the bulk of the initial work. Once the space had been transformed into the bar they wanted, he would hand over to Blaise and his partner would ensure that the place was fitted out perfectly and that the décor was just what they'd discussed.

After a hard morning keeping the builders in check, and ensuring everything was running to plan, Draco left the building and headed down to the street to grab some lunch. Draco decided to head into the newest café in Diagon Alley. The café offered a selection of sandwiches and pastries as well as delicious cakes and desserts. Then there was the drink selection in the place, which was the best Draco had ever found in a wizarding café. The café was actually run by a muggleborn witch and she'd taken some ideas from muggles with the various fancy coffees and teas she had available.

With his mind lost in thoughts of a warm chicken melt panini and a large cup of mint latté, Draco entered the café and ran straight into a witch, knocking her off her feet. Draco opened his mouth to apologise, but the words died on his lips as his eyes fell to a pair of long, bronzed legs. The witch he'd knocked over was wearing a pair of towering black shoes and her toned, tanned legs seemed to stretch for miles before they disappeared under a tight fitting dark grey skirt. Still captivated by the sight in front of him, Draco's eyes scanned up past the witch's waist and up her silky purple shirt, which offered a tantalising view of her cleavage. Finally, his eyes reached her face and he was confronted with a very familiar face surrounded by a mass of chocolate brown curls.

"Are you just going to stare all day, Malfoy?" the witch purred with a mischievous smile.

"I thought I might," he replied, offering her his hand and helping her back to her feet. "You're looking good, Granger."

"Thank you," Hermione Granger replied as she brushed herself off. "You're not looking too bad yourself, Malfoy."

Once upon a time such a flirtatious interaction between the pair would have been laughable, but things had changed a lot since their first meeting as eleven years old. Back then Draco had still believed that muggleborns were beneath him, and given the fact they were sorted into rival houses and Hermione had befriended Ron Weasley and Harry Potter, a friendship had never got the chance to form between the pair. However, as Draco grew out of his beliefs and overcame his arrogance, things began to change between the pair. By fifth year they'd put their differences aside and the animosity between them had lessened.

Seventh year was when things had really changed between the pair when they were head students together. Even though they hadn't had to share dorms, they'd still had head duties to do together and it had meant working together. Surprisingly they found they worked well as a team, and even more surprisingly they'd fallen into a routine of flirting with one another. Draco was never really sure why things had never progressed beyond flirting, but standing opposite Hermione after barely seeing her over the last five years he was reminded of how much he'd enjoyed their banter.

"Can I buy you a drink since I knocked you off your feet?" Draco asked.

"That would be nice," Hermione replied with a smile. "I'll have a caramel latté please."

"Grab a seat, I'll be back in a minute," Draco said.

Less than five minutes later, Draco settled down at the window table Hermione had snagged for them. Not only did he have their coffees, but he'd ordered two paninis and brought them each a cake.

"Bribery?" Hermione chuckled as she thanked Draco for his generosity.

"An apology," Draco replied. "Believe it or not, I try not to knock beautiful witches off their feet."

"And here was me thinking you were used to women falling at your feet," Hermione joked, smiling slightly at the fact Draco had called her beautiful.

"It can't be helped when you're as stunning as I am," Draco returned.

"It's nice to see you're still the same, Malfoy," Hermione chuckled. "You've still got a big ego."

"It's not the only big thing I've got going for me," Draco said, giving Hermione a suggestive smirk.

Hermione laughed lightly as she picked up her coffee and had a drink. She was enjoying reconnecting with the blond, and like Draco she was fondly remembering the banter they'd shared in seventh year. To be honest, it had taken all of Hermione's will power back in Hogwarts not to give in to her desire for the blond and jump into his bed. However, she'd been aware that Draco wasn't exactly the committed type, or at least he hadn't been back in school, and she hadn't wanted to become another notch on his bedpost. But that didn't mean she still didn't find him seriously sexy, and now she was older and more experienced the idea of a fling with the blond wasn't quite as intimidating as it had been in school.

"How's your life going, Granger?" Draco asked. "Still saving the world?"

"I do not save the world," Hermione replied. She was a lawyer, and right from the beginning of her career she'd chosen to fight for the little people, as well as magical creatures. In fact she'd achieved quite a lot in the last five years, but there was still so much more she wanted to change in the wizarding world.

"I'm sure some of your clients would disagree," Draco replied with a shrug. "You have a habit of saving people and creatures in need."

"And how would you know?" Hermione asked.

"I hear things," Draco answered with a shrug. It wasn't like he'd kept an eye on Hermione's life, but Wizarding Britain wasn't exactly the largest of places and Hermione had made rather a name for herself over the last five years, so it was only natural that Draco knew a bit about her life. Just like he was sure she knew bits and pieces about his.

"I hear things as well," Hermione said. "And I hear that old shop down the street that's being refurbished is going to be your new business. A wine bar, isn't it?"

"That's right, it'll be called Red Diamond," Draco replied with a nod.

"I might have to try it when it's open," Hermione remarked. "See if it lives up to expectations."

"It will," Draco replied confidently. "Black Diamond doesn't disappoint, does it?"

"How do you know I've ever been to your club?" Hermione asked teasingly. "In case it slipped your notice, Malfoy, I'm hardly the clubbing type."

"Firstly, I think you're a lot more fun that you appear on the outside," Draco replied. "And secondly, Potters team were celebrating in the club when they won the league last month. Now, I know you're not fussed on quidditch, but you and Potter and still close and since he was their star player, and all but won them the leagues single handed, I'm guessing you were there to show your support for him."

"Hmm, either you know me very well, or else you saw me there," Hermione said thoughtfully.

"I didn't see you," Draco answered. "I wasn't at the club that night. However, Blaise did mention he'd seen you. But even without that, I could have guessed you would have been there."

"I didn't realise I was so predictable," Hermione said with a pout.

"You are the most unpredictable witch I've ever met," Draco replied honestly. After all, when he'd first met Hermione he never would have predicted that they'd have such an attraction to one another.

"That's good to know, I'd hate to be predictable," Hermione said as she finished her coffee and cake and got to her feet. "I'm sorry to dash, Malfoy, but I've got to get back to work. Maybe I'll see you around sometime."

"Hopefully," Draco replied with a smile. "Pop in to the club one night, I'll treat you to the full V.I.P experience."

"I might just hold you to that," Hermione replied, before she headed out of the café and off back to work.

"Now that is my sort of witch," Draco muttered to himself as he watched Hermione leave.

Maybe it was time to ignite an old flame and act on his attraction to Hermione. Even if it didn't work out, he still figured they could have a good time together. There was no harm in trying, and Draco had to admit he'd thoroughly enjoyed his lunch. Seeing Hermione had reminded him of just what he wanted in a witch, and he knew one thing, getting involved with Hermione would certainly brighten up his life. One thing was for sure, life wouldn't be dull if he were to date Hermione Granger.


	5. Chapter 5

Nearly three weeks after his run-in with Hermione, Draco was beginning to regret not setting up a proper meeting with the pretty brunette witch. After their lunch, he'd fully expected to see her at Black Diamond, and as such he spent more time than usual at the club so he didn't miss her. However, so far there'd been no sign of the former Gryffindor and Draco was beginning to think he'd misinterpreted their time together. Maybe Hermione wasn't interested in him and her flirtations were all in his head.

Draco also had other things to worry about other than Hermione not making a further appearance in his life. On the plus side the new bar was shaping up nicely. The major structural changes had been finished, and Draco had handed the baton over to Blaise for his partner to turn the space into a classy wine bar. Draco now hadn't been to the new bar in over a week, but Blaise reassured him everything was running smoothly and he had everything under control. For the time being, Draco was happy to leave Blaise in charge, although he was keeping an eye on the invoices to make sure Blaise wasn't overspending.

However, there had been a down side to the last few weeks of Draco's life. It had all started innocently enough when a witch in the club had introduced herself and started flirting with him. Even though he'd been hoping to see Hermione, Draco had still been flattered by the attention and he'd had a drink with the witch. That was when he discovered she'd been sent by his father in another attempt to interfere in his life. The second Draco had worked out what was going on, he politely made it clear to the witch in question that he wasn't interested.

Draco had hoped that would be the end of it, but over the last few weeks it had become a regular occurrence for his father to send a suitable witch into his life in one way or another. With each passing witch the set-ups were becoming increasingly annoying to Draco, and he was ready to confront his father. It was one thing for Lucius to think it was time for Draco to settle down, but it was quite another for him to take it upon himself to find his son a wife.

When Draco first decided to have it out with Lucius, he did think about bringing his mother into things to help him talk sense into his father, but he eventually decided against it. He was an adult now and he was more than capable of dealing with his father. Besides, this issue was between Draco and Lucius, so there was no need to bring Narcissa into things.

With the decision not to involve his mother in things, Draco decided to go and pay his father a visit at work. Not wanting to disturb his father's work, he'd timed his arrival to coincide with lunchtime. Unfortunately, he'd also happened to pick a day when Lucius had a lunchtime meeting, so when he arrived at the office, his father wasn't in residence.

"What time will he be back?" Draco asked his father's long-time secretary, Betty.

"He's got no more appointments this afternoon," Betty replied as she flicked through Lucius's diary. "To be honest, I'm not sure what time to expect him back. He might not even be back in this afternoon."

"Where is he?" Draco asked, wondering if he should just go to wherever his father was having lunch.

"The Oaks," Betty answered, without even having to check the diary.

The Oaks was a member's only gentleman's wizarding club which Lucius held a membership to. Draco's grandfather, Abraxas, had been one of the founding members of the club and when Lucius had turned seventeen he'd been given a membership. Draco himself even had a membership and while he'd been to the club several times in his life, he detested the place. When he was younger and Lucius used to take him, he would watch his father hobnob with the other pure-blood wizards and wish for the day he would belong to the exclusive club. However, these days he could see how elitist the club truly was and he'd never used his membership. No witches, even pure-blood witches, were allowed membership to the club, and anyone other than a pure-blood had to be given approval to enter the club.

When Draco heard where his father was, he almost decided to wait and talk to his father another time, but since he'd braced himself for a confrontation with his father, he decided to just head to The Oaks. It wasn't until Draco arrived outside of the large, Victorian building that he remembered the club's dress code. Robes were the preferred attire for members, but certain people, like the Malfoys who had strong connections with the club, could get away with smart business attire. Unfortunately for Draco, he was just wearing black trousers, a casual shirt and no tie or jacket.

Hoping bribery would get him inside, Draco walked up the steps and into the marbled reception area. Leading from the reception area were several doors, each leading to a different part of the club. There was a restaurant, a lounge and a room for card games from what Draco could remember from his youthful visits to the place. There was also another couple of rooms, which Lucius had never taken him in so Draco wasn't entirely sure what else the club had to offer.

In the reception area stood two wizards, both decked out in black dress robes. One of the wizards gave Draco a distasteful look as the blond approached the two men.

"Hi, I want to see my father," Draco said. "I understand he's here."

"And just who would your father be?" The wizard who'd given Draco the distasteful look asked.

"Lucius Malfoy," Draco replied, wondering if his father's name would have an effect on the two wizards.

Sure enough, both wizards stood up even straighter when Draco mentioned his father's name and the one he'd been talking to, shed his disapproving expression. Instead it morphed into one of respect as he inclined his head in Draco's direction.

"Of course, Mr Malfoy," he said respectfully. "Mr Lucius Malfoy is in the lounge."

"And will I have to change to go in?" Draco asked. "I know I'm not dressed to standards, but I just want a quick word with my father."

"Technically, you're not suitably dressed," the wizard admitted, looking at Draco's attire.

"It will only be for a few minutes," Draco said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a few galleons. Leaning forward, he subtly slipped the galleons into the wizard's pocket.

"I'm sure it will be just fine for a few minutes," the wizard replied. "Your father is in the lounge, which is the first door on the right."

"Thank you," Draco replied with a polite smile as he turned and headed towards the door the security wizard had pointed to.

Entering the lounge, Draco found himself in a stuffy room with walls lined with dark, wooden book shelves. Dotted around the room were round tables, with various numbers of armchairs around each table. Scanning the room, Draco found his father sitting at a table in the far corner. Lucius seemed to be alone, a glass of amber liquid which was most likely fire-whisky sitting on the table in front of him as he read the paper.

Making his way over to Lucius, Draco slid into the chair opposite his father. As he sat down, Lucius looked up from his paper, the surprise evident in his grey eyes. However the surprise quickly changed to disapproval when he put the paper down and got a good look at his son.

"What are you doing?" Lucius hissed at his son, glancing around to find a few other people were also giving Draco disapproving looks.

"We need to talk," Draco answered.

"How did you even get in here like that?" Lucius demanded. "You're not dressed correctly, Draco."

Lucius himself was in a set of deep blue robes, and underneath was his normal smart business attire so even if he removed his robes, he would still be perfectly in line with the dress code. However, Draco looked distinctly casual with his dark green shirt and black trousers. There was no tie or jacket, and even the shirt had a few too many buttons open for Lucius's liking.

"It pays to be a Malfoy," Draco replied with a casual shrug. "But don't worry, I won't be staying long. I just need to set things straight with you in regards to the witches you've been sending my way."

"You mean the ones you keep rejecting?" Lucius retorted. "Honestly Draco, you can't keep turning down every decent witch."

"I plan on turning down every witch you send my way, which is why I want you to stop," Draco said calmly. It would be easy to blow up and lose his temper with Lucius, but he figured his father might be more inclined to take him seriously if he was calm and acting rationally.

"I only want to help, Draco," Lucius said with a sigh. "You're not getting any younger, and neither am I."

"What does your age have to do with anything?" Draco asked with a frown. Lucius was approaching his fiftieth birthday, but in Draco's eyes his father was still a young man. He certainly didn't act old, and in no way did he look middle-aged.

"One day I'll want to retire," Lucius answered. "One day it will be time for me to hand the business and the manor over to you. I can't do that until you're married and have a family of your own."

"Firstly, I don't want the business, I've got one of my own," Draco said snappishly. "And even if I did want to inherit, why do I have to be married with a child to do so?"

"Tradition," Lucius replied as if the one word explained everything. "The Malfoys are built on traditions, Draco, and you're sailing close to the wind with breaking them."

"You need to move on," Draco said softly. "The world has changed, Father. I've changed. I have no intention of being the good little boy you want me to be and marry a pure-blood witch you pick out for me. I will chose my own path in life, and right now, marriage is not on the horizon. Just do me a favour, and stay out of my life. I can handle my own life."

"Yet you're still single," Lucius retorted as Draco got to his feet. "I'm sorry Draco, but I won't back down. You're a Malfoy, and it's time you had a wife and son. It's time you grew up and accepted your responsibilities."

"And it's time you realised you can't run my life for me," Draco shot back. "Don't do something you might regret, Father."

"Right back at you, son," Lucius retorted, a challenging glare in his grey eyes.

Shaking his head, Draco issued one more threat for his father to stay out of things, before he stalked off out of the lounge. As he left the lounge he almost collided with Jasper Greengrass, father of one of his old school friends, Daphne. Mumbling an apology, Draco carried on out of the club, not realising that Jasper had joined his father and the pair were about to make an arrangement that would change his life forever.

**{}{}{}{}{}**

The day after his confrontation with his father, Draco had a meeting with the wizard whose company supplied Black Diamond with their liquor. The meeting was to arrange for the same company to supply the wine bar as well, and to keep the wizard he was dealing with sweet, Draco had arranged for them to spend a few hours in one of the V.I.P sections of Black Diamond.

While the deal was still being sorted, Draco briefly left the wizard flirting with one of the waitresses as he checked everything was running smoothly with the rest of the club. In a second V.I.P area, Draco was rather pleased, if not a bit surprised, to find Hermione in residence alongside her friend, Ginny Potter. Like her husband, Harry, Ginny was a quidditch player and while she wasn't quite the star Harry was, she was still pretty famous and more than warranted admittance to the V.I.P area.

Wishing he had more time to spend with Hermione, and that's she'd picked a night to come into the club when he wasn't busy, Draco went to the bar and grabbed a bottle of the most expensive champagne and two glasses. He then headed over to where the two witches were sitting in one of the best corner booths.

"Ladies," he greeted with a dazzling smile as he placed the champagne and glasses onto the table.

"Malfoy," Hermione returned. "What's with the champagne? We didn't order any."

"Compliments of the management," Draco replied.

"Thanks," Ginny breamed as he popped the cork and began to pour two glasses of the fizzy liquid.

"Are you joining us?" Hermione asked, looking up at Draco expectantly.

"I'd love to, but I'm afraid I'm in the middle of an important meeting," Draco replied apologetically. "You really can pick your moments, Granger. I wait for three weeks, and then you pick the one night I'm busy to show up."

"I guess my timing sucks," Hermione chuckled. "I'll just have to keep trying until I manage to get your full attention."

"You can have that whenever you want," Draco replied, his grey eyes locked on Hermione's. Even though Ginny was sitting beside her, he was barely conscious of the red-headed witch.

"Next time I'll have to let you know when to expect me, then you can clear your diary," Hermione said.

"Sounds good," Draco said. "I've got to dash, but enjoy your evening ladies."

"I'm sure we will," Hermione replied as she picked up her champagne glass. "And thank you for the drinks."

"Anytime," Draco called as he reluctantly tore himself away from Hermione and returned to his business meeting.

Now all he had to do was hope that next time Hermione turned up he was free to give her the attention she deserved. With Lucius sorted, he could focus on his love life without interference, and ironically he could well end up with a girlfriend. Granted, Hermione would not be the witch his father pictured him with, but Draco would jump over that hurdle if it ever happened. First he had to at least have a date with Hermione, before he even thought about worrying what his father would think. However, that was all in the future, right now he had work to do and for the moment Red Diamond was the most important thing in his life.


	6. Chapter 6

True to her word, Hermione got in touch before she returned to Black Diamond, and as such Draco had made sure he was available to spend the evening with her. The pair ended up having a very enjoyable evening, with plenty of flirting taking place over the course of the night. At the end of the evening, they agreed that they should do it again sometime, but unfortunately for them both life had other plans. Just days after their evening together, Hermione received the biggest case in her career, while Red Diamond hit a few problems and Draco was needed to help sort them out. As a result, it meant the pair put a further meeting on the back burner as they were both swamped with work.

The business was pretty much all Draco thought about for nearly a month, therefore when his mother got in touch and asked him over to dinner one evening, he didn't think twice about agreeing. Since his talk with Lucius, his father had backed off and Draco was hoping that he'd put an end to his father's matchmaking schemes. Considering he was hoping to further things with Hermione once they both had a bit more free time and weren't swamped with work, the last thing he needed was for his father to be interfering in his love life.

When Draco arrived at the manor for dinner, he expected it be just him and his parents, so he was rather shocked to find the Greengrasses at the house. Jasper Greengrass and his wife, Emily, were in the front room along with their youngest daughter, Astoria. Draco was actually friends with the Greengrasses eldest daughter, Daphne, but there was no sign of her. Not that Draco was truly surprised by Daphne's absence as his friend now lived in France and she was considered the black sheep of the Greengrass family.

Much to her parents' disgust, Daphne had headed off to Paris the second she'd left Hogwarts to work for a major fashion designer. The opportunity was a once in a lifetime chance, although her parents didn't see it that way. They thought she should find herself a rich wizard and settle down, but Daphne had other plans. She wanted to be a fashion designer, so off she went to Paris to fulfil her ambition. The last Draco had heard, Daphne hadn't quite made it as a designer, but she was gaining valuable experience from living and working in Paris.

"I didn't realise we would be having company," Draco remarked as he politely greeted the Greengrasses.

"Did we forget to mention Jasper and his family would be dining with us?" Lucius asked, feigning innocence. "Sorry, I thought we'd mentioned it."

"Well you didn't," Draco replied.

"It's not a problem, is it?" Jasper asked, sensing some tension between father and son.

"Of course not," Draco said, giving the older wizard a polite smile. "It's very nice to see you all again, Mr Greengrass."

"Do call me Jasper, Draco," Jasper offered, taking Draco by surprise. Even though he'd known Jasper since he was a child, Draco had never been told to call him by his first name, it was always Mr Greengrass.

"How's Daphne?" Draco asked. "Is she still loving Paris?"

"Last we heard," Emily Greengrass replied, disapproval dripping from her voice like acid. "What she sees in that city is beyond me. And why she feels the need to actually work, is another mystery."

"Messing about with clothes isn't working," Astoria snorted. "She just likes the glamour of the fashion industry."

"Glamour isn't the word I would use," Jasper sniffed haughtily.

Grabbing himself a glass of fire-whisky from Lucius's bar, Draco fought the urge to comment on the Greengrasses snobbery. Unfortunately, their attitudes were all too common in the pure-blood wizarding community, and as always Draco had to work hard just to remain polite. He really had changed and grown up so much, it was often a struggle for him to be around his parents' friends and acquaintances. It looked like he was in for a long night, biting his tongue to stop himself from saying something rude.

The evening progressed pretty much as Draco expected, with dinner becoming a massive chore as he watched his parents and the Greengrasses display the beliefs and ideals he'd long since abandoned. To be honest, Draco had never felt as out of place at the manor before and it was leaving him with a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. He'd always known his parents hadn't changed their views as he had, but he hadn't realised just how much his views differed from theirs until this evening. For the first time, Draco began to see that he was never going to be the perfect son they wanted, not any more. Maybe at one time he could have fit into their mould of perfect pure-blood son, but those days were long behind him.

By the time dinner finished, Draco was lost in his own thoughts and all he wanted to do was head home. However, he did still have his manners and he knew it was impolite to leave before the Greengrasses. Instead, he somehow managed to get himself stuck giving Astoria a tour of the manor while their parents enjoyed an after dinner drink in the living room.

"I never knew this place was so large," Astoria remarked as Draco showed her around his childhood home.

"The clue is in its name. Manor's tend to be large houses," Draco replied as he led Astoria into his favourite room in the entire house, the library.

"This library is bigger than the one at Hogwarts," Astoria said.

"Yes, it is," Draco replied, a proud edge to his voice. Even though he no longer lived at home, he was still proud to call the manor his childhood home. "Do you want to venture further into the room, it's pretty impressive."

"I don't think so, libraries aren't my thing," Astoria replied as she turned on her heel and swept out of the room.

Biting his tongue, Draco followed Astoria out of the library and continued on with the tour. Astoria was pretty quiet throughout the tour, although Draco could see her eyes flicking all over the place and taking everything in. Ten minutes after leaving the library, Draco took Astoria into the large formal ballroom, which was where his parents held parties on special occasions. The room was twice the size of the Great Hall at Hogwarts, and the large floor to ceiling windows opened out into the beautiful gardens of the manor.

"This is spectacular," Astoria gushed, whirling around in the centre of the room and gazing up at the large, crystal chandelier that hung overhead. "I can't wait to host my first party in this room. I'm thinking a summer ball, and we can have the windows open so people can go outside. It'll be magical."

"Excuse me?" Draco frowned, not at all sure what Astoria was going on about. Why on earth would she be hosting any party at the manor?

"It doesn't have to be a large ball," Astoria said, thinking Draco was opposed to a large gathering. "Just a few friends and family."

"Just what are you on about Astoria?" Draco snapped. "Why on earth are you planning to host balls in my parents' house?"

"It'll be my house soon enough," Astoria replied with an elegant shrug of her shoulder. "And as lady of the manor, I intend to throw regular balls."

"Lady of the manor," Draco repeated in a hollow voice, a terrible thought creeping into his head.

"Won't it be wonderful?" Astoria gushed, not noticing, or just not caring, about Draco's apparent confusion. "I can't wait to become a Malfoy."

"And just how are you planning on doing that?" Draco asked snappishly as Astoria all but confirmed his worst fears.

"By marrying you of course," Astoria said with a girlish giggle. "I can't believe I'm going to marry Draco Malfoy. Of course you'll have to give up that seedy club you run with Blaise. Honestly, how your father ever let you get involved with that boy is a mystery. He's really not our class of person, Draco."

"Blaise is my best friend, and he's a damn sight better than you'll ever be," Draco replied sharply. "You're nothing but a money grabbing tart, Astoria, and I wouldn't marry you if you were the last witch on earth."

Astoria glared hatefully at Draco as her crystal blue eyes stormed over and her lips pulled back in a nasty sneer. "You don't have a choice, Draco. Our fathers have done the deal. Like it or not, I will be your wife."

"Over my dead body," Draco muttered as he turned on his heel and stormed out of the ballroom.

Not bothering to see if Astoria was following him, Draco stormed back to the living room. Bursting into the room, he found his mother sitting with Astoria's mother, quietly discussing something, while their fathers were over the opposite side of the room with their heads together.

"I don't believe you," Draco yelled, storming over to his father. "You just can't help yourself, can you?"

"Draco, what's wrong?" Narcissa questioned, quite taken aback by her son's outburst.

"He is what's wrong," Draco answered, furiously jabbing his finger in his father's direction. "Did you honestly think I would just lie back and let you run my life this way?"

"Draco, now is not the time," Lucius said sternly.

"Now is exactly the time," Draco retorted. "When were you planning on telling me that you'd arranged for me to marry Astoria?"

"You told me that Draco was on board with this plan, Lucius," Jasper said, turning to the blond wizard.

"He will be," Lucius said, trying to placate his old friend.

"He will not be," Draco corrected. "I've already told you, I will not get married just because you think it's time I settled down. I will also not be marrying someone of your choosing, especially if your choice is Astoria sodding Greengrass."

"And just what's wrong with me?" Astoria called from the doorway, having arrived back in the living room in time to hear Draco declare he wouldn't be marrying her.

"Where to begin," Draco chuckled humourlessly. "You're a vain, tiresome witch with the personality of a wet mop. There's a reason you're not already married Astoria, no bugger wants to be lumbered with a tart like you. You had a reputation as a slapper in school, always spreading your legs for the boys with money. Well, it's not going to work with me, you're not getting your hands on me or my money."

"This is outrageous," Jasper yelled as Astoria burst into loud tears and fled the room, her mother getting up and going rushing after her. "You haven't heard the last of this, Lucius." Turning to Draco, Jasper gave the young blond wizard a cold, deadly stare. "And you my boy are a disgrace. You're not a gentleman. You're a foul mouthed yob, and I wouldn't let my daughter marry you now even if you begged."

As Jasper turned and left the room with his head held high, Draco regretted losing his temper and lashing out. Everything he'd said about Astoria was true, but that didn't mean it wasn't hurtful and bad manners of him to say it. After all, it wasn't her fault that his father had tried to marry them off. It was Lucius he was angry at, and unfortunately, Astoria had gotten in the way and received a tongue lashing she probably didn't deserve.

"I hope you're happy now," Lucius said in a low growl, which Draco knew meant he was fuming and on the verge of losing his temper spectacularly.

"Not really, no," Draco replied, not caring if Lucius lost his temper. "Why would I be happy to discover my father doesn't respect my wishes? I politely asked you to stop interfering, and stupidly I thought you'd done so. I should have known better. I should have known you couldn't just back off and let me live my life."

"Maybe if you weren't making such a hash of your life, I wouldn't have to interfere," Lucius shot back, his temper hanging on by a thread. "Do you have any idea how embarrassing it is for me having you as my son? You were once a boy I could be proud of, at least until you got involved with that Zabini brat."

"Don't," Draco hissed. "Don't you dare insult Blaise."

"Why? That boy has been nothing but trouble since he entered our lives," Lucius growled. "Don't think we don't know who was behind your change of heart regarding mud-bloods. We know he got inside your head and twisted your thinking."

"No, Blaise helped me to think for myself," Draco argued. "Without Blaise, I would just be another brainless puppet, doing what I was told and thinking what I was told to think. Blaise gave me a chance to be my own person, and you can't stand that."

"I can't stand that my only son has become an embarrassment," Lucius shouted, finally losing his cool. "I'm ashamed of you, Draco. Jasper was right, you are a yob. Thanks to Blaise, you're not the gentleman we brought you up to be. No self-respecting wizard runs clubs and bars. You're a joke."

"A joke you have no power over," Draco replied. His father's words hurt him deeply, but he pushed aside his hurt and focused on his anger. "You can't force me to get married just because it's what you think I should do."

"Can't I?" Lucius asked with a smirk, his grey eyes still flashing angrily as he glared at his son. "I've got news for you, Draco. Unless you toe the line, you're gone. Either you marry the witch I choose for you, which thanks to your outburst won't be Astoria, or I cut you off for good."

"I've already told you, I don't need your money," Draco replied.

"I'm not just talking money," Lucius said. "I'm talking cutting you out of the family. If you continue to rebel, Draco, I'll cut you off completely. You'll be dead to your mother and I."

Draco wanted to say Lucius was bluffing, but he just didn't think he was. He'd never seen his father so serious about something in his entire life. Hoping he would get some joy from his mother, Draco turned round to where Narcissa was standing behind him. Like him, she looked totally shell shocked by Lucius's ultimatum.

"Mother," he pleaded in a quiet voice.

"Your mother is with me," Lucius said sharply as he held out his hand for his wife.

Draco watched with horror as Narcissa reached for Lucius's hand and went to stand beside her husband.

"I'm sorry Draco, but your father is right," Narcissa said gently.

"He's right to force me to marry someone I don't love?" Draco demanded angrily. "Please. You've always been there for me, be there for me now. I don't need to get married to be a good son."

"I'm sorry Draco, but I agree with your father," Narcissa said, battling back the tears that threatened to spill. She didn't want to lose her son, but she knew he needed a wakeup call before it was too late. "It's time you took some responsibility in your life. It's time you married and had an heir. You can't live your entire life as Blaise Zabini's sidekick."

"Sidekick," Draco repeated the insult in a choked voice. Even with every insult his father had hurled at him, his mother's opinion of him stung the worst. "Is that all you think I am, Blaise's sidekick? His friend who just goes along with whatever he wants?"

"Isn't it?" Narcissa asked quietly. "The club business was his idea, not yours. You may be a partner, but how much say do you truly have? You're not living your dream, Draco, you're living Blaise's. Don't let him bring your entire life crashing down. Go home and think about what you truly want."

"I know what I truly want," Draco replied sadly. "I want parents who love me and respect me and my choices. I don't want to be forced into doing something I don't want to do. I'm sorry, I can't be the son you want. I will not marry someone you choose for me, and if you can't accept that then I guess this is the end."

"I guess it is," Lucius agreed with a single nod of his head.

Draco once again looked at his mother pleadingly, but she stood resolutely beside her husband. With heavy legs, and an even heavier heart, Draco turned around and exited the manor for what could very well be the last time in his life. He couldn't believe he'd just lost his parents, and part of him was hoping that it was just a blip and if he gave his father time he would come round. However, deep down he knew Lucius wouldn't just come round. His father meant what he said, and Draco knew that from this day forward he wasn't considered a part of the Malfoy family. He was on his own. He was all alone in the world, and he hated that his parents were more bothered about traditions and their reputation than about him and his happiness. It looked like he would have to make his own way in the world, without his parents in his life.


	7. Chapter 7

Despite leaving his childhood home knowing Lucius had meant every word he'd said, Draco still clung to the hope that his mother would talk his father round and everything would be okay. Even when he heard nothing from either of his parents, he still clung to the remote possibility that things could be fixed. Despite his bravado, he didn't want to lose his parents from his life.

Sadly, even his faint hopes of reconciliation were dashed when less than six weeks after the fateful falling out, Draco received an owl from his father's solicitor. The paperwork the owl was carrying were the legal forms, informing Draco that Lucius had cut him out of the family. He now no longer had access to the family vault at Gringotts, he'd been cut out of his father's will and as of this day he wasn't allowed to set foot on any Malfoy property that he didn't own outright. Basically, it meant he had the penthouse he lived in, and his own personal bank account. Everything else had been stripped away from him. Including the mother who'd always been there for him, and who he'd thought would always be there.

"I can't believe they did it," Blaise said when Draco informed him about the solicitors letter he'd received.

"You can't believe my father could be such a bastard?" Draco asked with a snort.

"That I can well believe," Blaise replied. He had a very low opinion of Lucius, but he'd never once slagged off his best friend's father, as despite it all he knew how much Draco loved and admired Lucius. "What I find harder to believe is that your mother went along with it."

"I have to admit, that hurts more than my father's rejection," Draco confessed. "I'm used to my father being disappointed in me, and wanting too much from me. But Mother has always been there for me. She's never once let me down before."

"Maybe she can still work on your father," Blaise suggested. "Get him to change his mind."

"Not now he's made it official," Draco said with a sigh as he brushed the papers into his desk drawer and slammed it shut. "If anyone could have made him see sense, it would have been Mother. I just have to face it that this time she didn't choose me. I may be her only son, but she chose to stand by father as he kicked me out of the family."

"I don't know what to say, Draco," Blaise muttered, running a hand through his jet black hair. Even though his family was pretty dysfunctional and his relationship with his mother was flimsy at best, he couldn't in a million years picture her cutting him out of her life. So he really had no idea what his best friend was going through and what to say to help him through his problems.

"What is there to say?" Draco elegantly shrugged his shoulder as he got to his feet. "It is what it is, and there's nothing we can do about it. I just have to forget about it and live my life."

"That's the spirit," Blaise said, giving his friend a grin. "Speaking of living your life, how are things going with Granger?"

"Slowly," Draco answered with an exasperated sigh. "I've been snowed under with the club and Red Diamond, and she's been busy on a big case. The best we've managed is to grab a quick coffee."

"So no action then?" Blaise pressed.

"Sadly no," Draco replied. "Although hopefully her case is nearly over so when I ask her out again she can say yes."

"Invite her to the opening of Red Diamond," Blaise suggested.

"I was going to do that," Draco replied. "But it won't be for another few weeks though."

"It's something to look forward to," Blaise said with a shrug. "Besides, if she has plenty of notice, she can make sure she's free."

"I guess there's no harm in asking," Draco said with a nod. "And I can always see if she's free before then."

"Of course you can," Blaise said with a grin.

It had been obvious since school that Draco quite liked Hermione, so Blaise was going to do everything he could to encourage the relationship if it made his friend happy. And if upset Lucius in the process than that was even better in Blaise's opinion, it would serve the old bastard right for abandoning his son.

"We are going to have to get on with sorting the opening," Draco said as he grabbed a couple of glasses and poured some of the club's finest fire-whisky into them and handed one to Blaise. "We want this launch to be spectacular."

"And it will be," Blaise reassured his partner as the pair sat down on the sofa in the corner of the room. "The furnishing of the bar is almost finished, the drinks lists are printed and staffing is sorted. The license for the premises came yesterday, and all the signs go up tomorrow. All we need to do is organise a sophisticated soirée that will have the entire wizarding world sitting up and taking notice of us."

"Let's guess, you already have an idea," Draco chuckled.

"I do as it happens," Blaise replied. "I was thinking making the party very exclusive, invitation only. I was also thinking we could do a theme."

"What sort of theme?" Draco asked warily. Dressing up wasn't his style, and Blaise knew that.

"Red."

"Red what?"

"Just red," Blaise declared, jumping to his feet and turning to he was facing Draco. "The bar is Red Diamond, so on the invitations we print a dress code. Everyone attending the party has to wear something red."

"I don't own anything red," Draco pointed out. As a proud Slytherin, the thought of wearing red, the colour of their rival house, Gryffindor, was not at all appealing.

"Go out and buy something then," Blaise answered with an unconcerned shrug. "But you have to admit the idea is a good one."

Draco had to concede his friend was right, having everyone wear red was a good gimmick for the opening. It would certainly grab people's attention, as would the exclusive part. Draco knew that once the word got out that the opening was invite only people would be clamouring over themselves to try and get an invite to the grand opening. After all, what self-respecting witch or wizard wanted to miss out on the hottest society event of the year?

**{}{}{}{}{}**

'_**Red Diamond's, Red Hot Opening,**'_ glared the headline in Narcissa's morning paper. As well as a preview of that evening's opening night, the article contained a few shots of the exterior of the classy looking wine bar, along with a picture of the proud owners, Draco and Blaise. According to the article, all of Diagon Alley was going to be part of the opening with the street paved with lush red carpet for the events and several mini bars positioned outside for the people wanting to enjoy the evening outside. In fact the entire street was going to be cornered off, and only those with invites to the party were going to be able to access the street come seven that evening. The article also revealed that several celebrities were rumoured to be attending the opening, and as a goodwill gesture to their new neighbours in the street every business owner and worker had received an invitation to the opening. It was now just a case of waiting to see just who the chosen people were who had been invited to the grand opening.

Taking one final look at the picture of her son, which had been taking at the opening of the club, Black Diamond, Narcissa snapped the paper closed and pushed it away before her emotions got the better of her and she began to cry. Over the last eight weeks, she'd done a lot of crying, and none of it had done any good. It didn't change what had happened, and the regrets that Narcissa now had to live with.

"Problem?" Lucius asked his wife, looking at her over the top of his own paper. Since they were reading the same paper he had a sneaking suspicion what had caused Narcissa to close her paper in such haste.

"What do you think?" Narcissa snapped back. She rarely lost her temper and she never shouted at her husband, but at the moment things were pretty strained between the pair. "Today is a big day for Draco, and we're not there for him."

"And whose fault is that?" Lucius questioned as he put down his own paper. Unbeknown to his wife, he was full of regrets himself, but he was also a stubborn man and it would be a cold day in hell before he backed down and admitted he'd acted too hastily where Draco was concerned. "Draco knew the consequences of turning his back on us."

"We were the ones who turned our backs on him," Narcissa said quietly. "All he wanted was our support."

"Which he had for over twenty years," Lucius retorted. "But this goes both ways. Cissa. How could he possibly expect us to support him when he refused to even consider doing his duties as a Malfoy? He's not blameless here, Narcissa."

"I know he's not," Narcissa admitted. As much as it pained her to be estranged from her son, she still believed that Draco had made a mistake in ruining the arrangement with the Greengrasses. The truth was as their only son, there was things expected of him, and he'd failed to face up to responsibilities as a Malfoy. "But he's still our son."

"And he always will be," Lucius replied softly. Despite everything, he still cared for his son, and he always would. "But unless he's going to back down, things won't change. You know that don't you, sweetheart?"

"I do," Narcissa answered, sadly nodding her head.

The truth was, she knew she could have stopped things before they went too far. Narcissa really was the only person who could change Lucius's mind once it was made up about something, so if she'd really tried she could have stopped him from cutting Draco off. However, she hadn't objected as she'd believed it would never happen. She'd been convinced that after a few weeks, Draco would have come round, apologised and decided to toe the line. However, it hadn't happened and as the weeks dragged on, any chance she'd had of changing Lucius's mind had gone. However, it had sadly reached a point where her husband had been forced to act, otherwise Draco would have known it was all bluster and he just could keep defying them.

Although, if Narcissa had known how things were going to turn out, she would have stepped in and ended things long before now. If she'd ever honestly thought she would have lost her only son, she would have spoken up and put a stop to the madness. But she'd underestimated the stubbornness of both her husband and son, and in the process she'd lost her son and her marriage was under severe strain. Now she just had to live with the consequences.

"We should go out this evening," Lucius suddenly declared as he got to his feet.

"Where?" Narcissa asked, her mind immediately turning to her son's opening, even though she knew her husband couldn't possibly have an invite to the party. It was very clear Draco wasn't inviting them to his big night.

"I actually thought we could go to Paris, spend the night there," Lucius said, moving around the table where he gently pulled Narcissa to her feet and wrapped his arms around her delicate waist. "I thought it would be nice for us to have some time alone, just the two of us."

"It sounds good," Narcissa replied with a soft smile. She hated it when things were strained with Lucius, so she was more than willing to take advantage of his romantic offer and try and put things back on track. If only things were so easy to fix with Draco.

"We have to carry this through, Narcissa," Lucius said softly, the pain evident in his grey eyes. For the first time, Narcissa saw how much their estrangement from Draco was affecting her husband, and she knew she had to stand by him, no matter how painful it was.

"We will," Narcissa vowed. "We'll get through this together, Lucius."

As she said goodbye to her husband, Narcissa hoped her son also had someone to help him cope with recent events. As much as she disapproved of Blaise, she hoped that Draco was right and that he was the good friend her son had always said he was. Right now, he was all Draco had.


	8. Chapter 8

On the evening of Red Diamond's opening, Diagon Alley had been transformed beyond all recognition. Both ends of the street were cordoned off, and the cobbles were lined with a lush red carpet. Magical fireflies floated around the street giving it an ethereal glow. Three different pop-up bars had also been located along the length of the street, and the doors to Red Diamond stood wide open. Gentle music floated from the bar, and with magical aid it played throughout the street as well.

Half an hour before the party officially got underway, the press started to show up and both ends of the street were jostling with reporters and photographers hoping to grab something of interest. Draco had also shown up early, and after checking everything was in hand, he was in the middle of giving the staff a briefing when Blaise sauntered into the bar.

Blaise's suggestion to theme the opening had been one they'd gone with, and all the invites had gone out with dress codes. Draco had half expected Blaise to turn up in a red suit or something equally as garish, but his best friend had shown some restraint. Blaise was dressed in a dark grey suit, and his expensive shirt was a deep shade of ruby.

"Please say you're not dressed for the party," Blaise said to Draco, once the staff had dispersed and he checked out his best friend.

Draco was wearing what Draco wore best, namely black. His sharp black suit fitted him perfectly, and the crisp light grey shirt he wore under his jacket looked brand new. However, there was no sign of red on him anywhere, much to Blaise's disappointment.

"Something wrong with what I'm wearing?" Draco asked. He knew he looked good, and he didn't regret not opting to wear a red shirt for the occasion.

"You don't fit the dress code, Draco," Blaise protested. "How's it going to look if the owners are setting a dress code and not sticking to it?"

"As you said, we're the owners so that means we can wear what we want," Draco answered with an unconcerned shrug. "Besides, I think it's more important we look good in the pictures that will be in the papers in the coming days, and I do not look good in red."

"How would you know?" Blaise questioned. "You've never worn red before."

"Not until today," Draco replied.

"So you are wearing red?" Blaise frowned as he checked out Draco again and couldn't see any sign of anything red on his best friend.

"I am, but it's staying undercover," Draco answered. "Now enough about what I'm wearing. How's everything looking outside?"

"Perfect," Blaise answered with a grin. "The press are already waiting, and people should be arriving any minute now."

"We better get ready to greet our guests then," Draco said, feeling his nerves kick in.

Draco wasn't anywhere near as sociable as Blaise, and evenings like these were harder for him to get through. No doubt Blaise would have a brilliant time, playing the part of the generous host, but for Draco the evening would be spent checking there were no problems and that everything ran as smoothly as possible.

"It's show time," Blaise declared with beaming grin as he prepared to face his public.

Calling upon his abilities to mask his feelings, Draco shoved down his nervousness as he got ready to play host alongside his best friend and business partner. Fortunately for Draco, among the first guests to arrive were Pansy and Theo. Pansy was wearing a low cut floor length red dress, which she was practically spilling out of as she was now heavily pregnant and her pregnancy had seemed to boost her cleavage significantly. Theo had gone with a black suit like Draco, but he'd teemed it with a white shirt and a red tie.

"This place looks amazing," Pansy gushed as she greeted both Blaise and Draco.

"Thanks," Draco replied with a smile as Blaise scurried off to greet some other guests. "Speaking of looking amazing, you look pretty good yourself Pansy. Pregnancy suits you."

"No, it doesn't," Pansy grumbled. "I look like a whale. I feel as if I bend over, I'll be exposed to everyone. Not that I can bend anymore. I can barely move I'm so big."

"It won't be for much longer," Theo said, wrapping an arm around his wife's waist. "In a few weeks, you'll have the baby and we can meet our daughter."

"Because childbirth is something to look forward to," Pansy snapped. "I was in agony when I had Maximillian."

"But he's worth it, isn't he?" Draco asked.

"Of course he is," Theo replied before his wife even got the chance to answer. "And little Winnifred will be worth it as well."

"Winnifred?" Draco raised a questioning eyebrow at his two friends, hoping that they weren't going to inflict another horrid name on their youngest child. Maximillian was bad enough, but at least that could be shortened to Max.

"I'm still not sure about Winnifred," Pansy said with a frown. "People will shorten it to Winnie."

"Or Fred," Draco said.

"Oh no, I don't like that," Pansy declared with a shudder. "Winnifred is off the table."

"Then what do you suggest?" Theo asked his wife. "The only other name you liked was Wilhelmina."

"Wilhelmina? What's with the W's?" Draco asked.

"Coincidence," Theo answered with a shrug. "We've been looking at names for weeks, and we can't seem to agree on anything."

"I agree on Wilhelmina," Pansy said. "In fact, I've made my mind up. Wilhelmina it is."

Not giving Theo a chance to object, Pansy announced she needed the bathroom and disappeared in the direction Draco pointed her in. Left alone with his friend, Draco shook his head at Theo and his haplessness. Even though Theo had sworn he was going to stand up to his wife, it was clear that Pansy was still in charge in that relationship. Still, Theo seemed pretty content on a whole and Draco wasn't overly surprised that he'd chosen not to rock the boat with his fiery wife.

"So, Wilhelmina," Draco said. "What do you think?"

"I can cope," Theo answered with a shrug. "I could always shorten it to Wilma."

"Or Mina," Draco suggested.

"Mina Nott," Theo said with a thoughtful nod. "I like it."

"I think you mean Mina Parkinson-Nott," Draco corrected with a laugh.

"Oh yeah, can't forget that," Theo muttered with a roll of his eyes.

"Just don't let Pansy hear you shortening her name, or she'll pick a name that can't be shortened," Draco joked.

Knowing he couldn't spend the rest of the night talking with Theo, Draco left his friend and began to circulate. It had seemed that everyone had adhered to the dress code and everywhere he looked, all he could see was red. However, there was one person he'd yet to set eyes on. He'd sent Hermione an invite, and they'd had a quick coffee together the previous week, during which she'd promised to be at the opening, but so far there was no sign of her.

Draco was still searching for Hermione when he spotted her best friend Harry Potter and his wife, Ginny. As big quidditch stars, the pair had been among the celebrities Draco and Blaise had tried to attract to their opening. It did help that both Harry and Ginny had visited Black Diamond on more than one occasion, and their relationship with Draco and Blaise was pretty cordial. Draco briefly spoke to the pair, before he carried on through the crowds.

Leaving the bar itself, Draco wandered out into Diagon Alley, and he was pleased to find people were mingling and enjoying themselves outside as well. Spotting Blaise, he walked over to his friend. Just as he reached Blaise, the Weasleys twins appeared with their gorgeous girlfriends. Both the twins were wearing red suits, and Draco couldn't help but chuckle quietly at the sight they made. It took some courage to wear such bright suits, but it wasn't as if the Weasley twins were shy.

"Nice suits," Blaise said, genuinely admiring the suits the twins were wearing. "Not that I'm sure you two needed to bother with wearing red," he continued with a cheeky grin. "Not with your hair."

"We wanted to dazzle," Fred said, grinning back at Blaise.

"I think it's safe to say you've done that," Draco replied, his gaze flicking around as he searched for Hermione.

"Are we boring you?" George asked, noticing Draco's wandering eye.

"Ignore him, he's waiting for his date," Blaise said.

"And who is this date?" Fred asked.

"Granger," Blaise supplied, before Draco had a chance to answer.

"You're dating Hermione?" Angelina Johnson, George's girlfriend, asked.

"Kind of," Draco replied. "We've had one proper date and a few coffees. I'm hoping that eventually we'll have some time to spend together. If of course she turns up."

"If she promised to show up, she'll be here," Fred's girlfriend, Alicia Spinnett said. "Hermione's the reliable sort."

"Let's hope so," Draco muttered as he headed off to carry on greeting the guests.

Ten minutes later he'd decided that he'd had enough of being outside. Every time he ventured towards the ends of the street, the press would start shouting questions at him. Draco had answered a few questions about the bar, but someone had just asked him where his parents were and it had shaken him. He'd tried to put his parent's absence from his big night out of his head, but now all he could think about was that his Mother and Father weren't here to witness what a success he and Blaise and made of the club.

Re-entering the wine bar, Draco made his way over to the bar and got a drink from the barman. Knocking back the fire-whisky in double quick time, he asked for another. With his second drink in his hand, Draco turned around to look at the crowds in the bar. So far everyone seemed to be having a good time, and Draco couldn't see any problems.

All of a sudden, Draco got his eyes on a stunning brunette witch across the room. The witch in question was wearing a long, figure hugging red and black dress with a daring slit up the right side. Her hair was teased up in an elegant bun, but Draco could just imagine what it would look like cascading down her back in gentle curls. As if sensing she was being watched, the witch looked up and Draco smiled at his eyes locked with Hermione's warm brown eyes. Smiling back at him, Hermione made her way over to the bar.

"Nice place you've got here," she remarked.

"It's not too bad," Draco replied. "I can give you the guided tour if you want."

"Maybe later, for now I'll settle for a drink," Hermione said.

Turning back to the bar, Draco ordered Hermione a cocktail. Once she had her drink, he led her over to a nearby table that was empty and the pair settled down.

"I thought you weren't going to show," Draco said, trying to sound casual as he sipped on his firewhisky.

"I said I would come," Hermione said.

"Did you now? I must have missed that," Draco replied, shooting Hermione a seductive smirk.

"Naughty boy," Hermione scolded as she took a drink to help settle her nerves. Even though flirting with Draco had become second nature to her these days, she could still get flustered when he said something overly sexual.

"I try my best," Draco said with a grin.

Hermione laughed lightly as she shook her head at the teasing blond. "Although I have noticed you're not adhering to your own dress code. Where's your red attire, Draco?"

"Out of sight."

"So you are wearing red?"

"I am," Draco confirmed with a nod. "Under my trousers. Want to see?"

"Here, in the middle of the bar?" Hermione questioned, her mouth dropping open by how brazen Draco was.

"Why not, I've got nothing to hide," Draco replied. "So what do you say, Granger? Fancy a peek."

"I don't think this is the place for you to be flashing me your underpants," Hermione replied, blushing slightly as images of Draco in nothing but his underwear appeared in her head.

"Now who's the naughty one, Hermione?" Draco laughed. "I wasn't talking about my underpants."

"You weren't?" Hermione questioned with a frown. "Then what were you talking about?"

With a laugh, Draco stuck his leg out towards Hermione and pulled his trouser leg up far enough for her to see his red socks. "See, all very innocent, my socks are under my trousers."

"You wanted me to think you were talking about your underwear," Hermione hissed.

"Your mind went there all of its own accord," Draco retorted with a grin. "Can I help it if you're thinking about my underwear?"

"Knowing you I'm surprised that you're not wearing red undies just so you can flash me them as well," Hermione said.

"If you're desperate to see under my trousers, I can give you a flash," Draco offered as he lowered his voice and leaned over the table to get closer to Hermione. "But we better not do it here. I've got nothing on under my trousers."

Hermione gulped at the thought, and took a few deep breaths to compose herself. The thought of Draco wearing no underwear was getting her hot and bothered. Finishing her cocktail, she shot Draco a seductive smirk of her own as she leaned over the table and pressed her lips against his ears.

"It's funny, but I'm not wearing underwear either," she whispered before straightening up, giving Draco a saucy wink and sauntering into the crowds.

"Damn," Draco muttered to himself, his eyes glued to Hermione's backside as she walked away from him. "I have to have that witch."

His teasing conversation with Hermione had left Draco with a problem, and he had to take a few minutes to clear his thoughts before he could get to his feet without embarrassing himself. Once he was back on his feet, Draco spent the rest of the evening socialising and mingling as he talked up the business he ran with Blaise. By the end of the evening, he ended up catching up with Hermione again outside of Red Diamond as people were leaving.

"Did you have a good night?" he asked the brunette witch.

"I did," Hermione replied with a smile. "The bar is lovely. I would have liked to spend more time with the host though."

"Blaise will be gutted you haven't seen enough of him," Draco joked.

"Actually, I've barely seen him all night," Hermione said. "It's his partner that really does it for me."

"In that case, do you fancy having dinner next week?" Draco asked.

"I'd love to," Hermione answered, smiling warmly at Draco.

Promising to get in touch to arrange a time and day for their date, Draco gave Hermione a peck on the cheek just as the photographers at the end of the street focused their cameras on them and began to snap pictures. However, the couple were oblivious of the attention as they were focused on each other and the date that would hopefully lead to something more between them.


	9. Chapter 9

Lucius and Narcissa's trip to Paris ended up being a short break, and the time away helped to ease their troubled marriage. However, it didn't erase the problems they were having with Draco, and once they were back home thoughts once again turned to their son. Neither of them had mentioned Draco on their break, but back at the manor, Narcissa couldn't help but raise the topic with her husband.

"My hands are tied, Cissa," Lucius said with a weary shrug. "I can't give Draco back his inheritance without backing down."

"And can't you do that?" Narcissa pressed, wrapping her arms around her husband's neck and gazing up at him with sad, blue eyes. "Can't you be the bigger man?"

"And let Draco think he can get away with whatever he likes?" Lucius retorted. "If I cave now Narcissa, Draco will never have any respect for me. He'll believe he can do as he likes and we'll forgive him and stand by him because we love him. He needs to know that the world doesn't work like that, at least our world doesn't. He had a responsibility as a Malfoy, and since he made it clear he wasn't honouring that responsibility, I took away the privileges of being a Malfoy."

"Would you reinstate him if he put his mistakes right?" Narcissa asked. "If he did the right thing and gave up that horrid club and married a nice pure-blood girl, would you forgive him?"

"I would," Lucius replied with a nod of his head. "But don't hold your breath, sweetheart. Draco is extremely stubborn and I can't see him giving in anytime soon."

"I wonder where he gets his stubbornness from," Narcissa remarked, giving her husband a slight smile. "Sometimes I think the pair of you need your heads knocking together."

"It's too late now," Lucius said sadly. "For the time being Draco isn't part of our lives. You need to get used to that, Narcissa."

Narcissa wasn't sure she would ever get used to her son not being a part of her life, but she understood that as things stood she would have to accept the situation. At least now she knew that Lucius was open to reconciliation with their son. Now all she had to do was hope that Draco eventually came round and made the first move. If he did that, maybe one day she would have her family back together where they belonged.

"I'm sorry Narcissa," Lucius said, pecking his wife on the cheek. "I wish things were different. But I really need to pop into the office for a while."

"You go," Narcissa said.

Once Lucius had gone to his office, Narcissa settled down with the papers that they'd missed while they'd been away. She could have claimed she was merely catching up on events in Wizarding Britain, but the truth was she was looking for some reactions to her son's new bar opening. She and Lucius had gone away the day the bar opened, and since it was now a few days later, she was confident that reports would have surfaced of her son's big night.

Narcissa's confidence was soon rewarded by a double page spread in The Daily Prophet, complete with dozens of photos of the evening. Despite the press not being allowed access to the actual opening, they'd clearly been present in Diagon Alley and had snapped plenty of pictures of the street part of the party. Narcissa took in the celebrities that had attended her son's opening, and read about the praise party-goers heaped on the venture.

Finally she spotted a couple of pictures of her son, looking as handsome as ever in his trademark black. It hadn't escaped Narcissa's notice that the theme of the party was red, but yet her son didn't look to be wearing even the slightest hint of the colour. Although Blaise and the party-goers made up for Draco's lack of red attire.

As she read pieces of the article, Narcissa wasn't too surprised to find a mention of her and Lucius's absence. So far the family rift had escaped the presses attention, but with neither she nor her husband at the event, questions were now being raised about the situation within the family. Draco didn't look to have commented on their absence, but Narcissa knew that wouldn't stop the gossips. Before long someone was going to find out that Draco had been cut off from the family, and the reasons why. To be honest, Narcissa was surprised that Astoria Greengrass hadn't already made a fuss over what had happened, and she knew that Lucius still hadn't managed to fix things with her father. This could be just the opportunity the Greengrasses were waiting for to strike and reveal just what had fractured the close bond of the Malfoy family.

Trying not to dwell on what was going to happen in the future, Narcissa returned to looking at the pictures and she let out a quiet exclamation of surprise when she saw a picture of her son pecking an attractive brunette witch on the cheek. However, it wasn't the kiss that had captured Narcissa's attention, it was the look in her son's eyes. He was looking at the witch in the same smitten way Lucius had looked at her when they first started courting. Draco was on the verge of falling in love, and it broke Narcissa's heart that she wasn't there to witness it first-hand.

Eager to find out more about the witch who had seemingly captured her son's heart, Narcissa located her name under the picture and read the small piece of text beside it. The witch was identified as Hermione Granger, a lawyer who was making a name for herself by defending the less fortunate and fighting for the rights of magical creatures. Narcissa had heard the name many times before, and although the paper didn't mention it, she knew that Hermione was a muggleborn. As not only was she a well-known lawyer, but she was best friends with Harry Potter, and the quidditch star wasn't opposed to singing the praises of his genius muggleborn best friend.

"What are you doing, Draco?" Narcissa whispered as she saw her dreams of a reunited family shattering before her eyes.

She'd managed to get Lucius to a stage where he was willing to forgive their son, but Narcissa knew there would be no going back if Draco got seriously involved with a muggleborn. Lucius would never forgive Draco if he diluted the family line, so Narcissa was left hoping that her son wasn't going to let himself get seriously involved with Hermione. With any luck whatever was going on between them would burn out quickly, and Draco could still have a chance to make amends with his father. Narcissa just didn't want to consider any other option, and she certainly didn't want to consider what would happen if Draco well and truly defied tradition and married a muggleborn.

**{}{}{}{}{}**

A week after Red Diamond's opening, Draco and Hermione were settled in a small, romantic restaurant enjoying their date. Thankfully both of their schedules had calmed down and arranging the date had been easy enough. They were also both confident that they would be able to continue seeing each other if the date went as well as they were both expecting. Fortunately so far the date was going swimmingly and they were both having a great time.

"So what do you do when you're not working, other than dating sexy club owners?" Draco asked Hermione with a teasing smile.

"I'm not sure I've tried the dating sexy club owners before," Hermione retorted. "Is Blaise single?"

"He's a serial philanderer," Draco warned. "He's had more witches than I've had hot dinners."

"Is he really that bad?" Hermione asked with a chuckle.

"Worse," Draco answered honestly. He loved Blaise like a brother, but even he had to admit that his best friend was a womaniser.

"And what about you?" Hermione asked. "Are you a serial philanderer?"

"I'm no innocent virgin, but I'm not in Blaise's league," Draco replied. "Deep down I'm a romantic."

"And here was me thinking it was just charm to get into my knickers," Hermione teased, enjoying how easy she found conversing with Draco.

"That would be an added bonus," Draco answered, flashing Hermione a sinful smirk. "Am I getting close to it?"

"Close to what?" Hermione asked, playing innocent.

"You know what I'm asking. Is my charm working on you?"

"It might be," Hermione confessed. "Tell me more about your romantic side, unless of course it's just a line."

"No line, it's the truth," Draco replied. "I'd be quite happy to settle down and devote my life to one witch."

"And why haven't you?"

"I've never met anyone I liked enough to get really serious about," Draco answered honestly. "Although that all might be about to change. So how about you, why haven't you settled down?"

"Not many wizards want an ambitious, intelligent partner who can outsmart them," Hermione replied with a self-deprecating smile. "I've dated, but most men run a mile once they realise how focused I am."

"Anyone intimidated by your intelligence isn't worth your time," Draco said.

"That's what Harry is always saying," Hermione said with a laugh. "He's convinced that one day I'll meet a wizard who can handle me."

"I never thought I would say this, but I agree with Potter," Draco laughed. "And just for the record, I can handle anything you have to throw at me."

"That sounds remarkably like a challenge, Draco," Hermione said. "Are you sure you're man enough to handle me?"

"I'm plenty man enough," Draco retorted with a saucy wink. "But I'm not exactly easy to handle. Are you up for the challenge, Hermione?"

"I am if you are," Hermione replied.

"I can certainly say that I'm up for it," Draco confided.

Hermione laughed at Draco's not so subtle reference, even as a slight blush stained her cheeks. She wasn't sure she would ever get used to the sexual references Draco peppered his flirtation with, but it wasn't as if she was opposed to them. If anything she always got a warm tingle when he got a bit racy and she could only imagine how hot he could get her if she ever let him really talk dirty to her.

Shifting slightly in her seat, aware that she was becoming increasingly aroused, Hermione swiftly changed the subject by asking about the new wine bar. After the official opening, Red Diamond had opened to the general public and every time Hermione had been in Diagon Alley the place looked to be heaving. Draco confirmed that the bar was going great guns, and both he and Blaise were confident they had another hit on their hands.

"Your parents must be proud," Hermione said. She hadn't seen either Lucius or Narcissa at the opening, but she assumed they'd just wanted to stay out of the limelight and not overshadow their son on his big day.

"Proud isn't exactly how I would describe it," Draco answered, unable to stop the wince that graced his features at the mention of his parents.

"Sorry, have I touched a raw nerve?" Hermione asked warily. The last thing she wanted to do was upset Draco, especially as their date was going so well.

"It's not your fault, you weren't to know," Draco replied with a sigh. "My parents have disinherited me."

"They've what?" Hermione was genuinely shocked at the revelation as even though she didn't really know Draco's parents, she'd always thought that they seemed like a close family.

"Cut me off," Draco said, his voice emotionless, although his grey eyes were storming with emotion. "I now have the penthouse I live in, my business with Blaise and my personal bank account. I have no access to the family's money, properties and businesses. As far as Father is concerned, I'm no longer his son."

Hermione reached across the table and took hold of Draco's hands in hers. "I'm so sorry Draco, I had no idea."

"It's only a recent development and to tell you the truth, I'm still coming to terms with it myself," Draco admitted. "Even though Father had threatened to cut me off, I never for one minute thought he would go through with it."

"What happened?" Hermione asked. "Not that you have to tell me if you don't want to," she added hastily, not wanting to sound nosy.

"It's okay, I want to tell you," Draco replied, giving Hermione a small smile. "To be honest things have been strained between myself and my parents since I left school. They never really approved of Blaise, and they were distinctly unimpressed that I went into business with him. However, I think they thought I would get bored and eventually toe the family line by joining father in the business and marrying a nice pure-blood girl. Basically my parents wanted me to be like Theo."

"He's married to Pansy Parkinson, isn't he?"

"He is," Draco confirmed with a nod. "It was an arranged marriage, and initially not a very popular one. I don't want a life like that, but it's what my parents wanted for me. For months, Father kept setting me up with witches and I kept turning them down. I eventually confronted him and asked him to stop."

"But he didn't," Hermione guessed.

"Actually he did," Draco said. "I finally thought he'd listened to me and was doing what I wanted when he set up a dinner with the Greengrasses and Astoria casually mentioned that our fathers had arranged for us to get married."

"He tried to marry you off to Astoria Greengrass?" Hermione gasped.

"Yes, and it did not go down well with me."

"I bet it didn't," Hermione muttered. She'd never understood pure-bloods willingness to fix up their offspring in mismatched marriages just to keep the family lines pure.

"I'm afraid I was rather brutal with Astoria and she bore the brunt of my anger," Draco confessed, still feeling bad about the nasty words he'd hurled at an innocent girl. "Things then got heated with my parents and I warned them not to interfere in my life. Father than told me that unless I did as he wanted, he would cut me out of their lives. We both refused to back down, so a few weeks later I was officially thrown out of the family."

"What about your mother?" Hermione asked. It hadn't escaped her notice that it seemed to have been Lucius issuing the threats and throwing his weight around, so she was curious as to Narcissa's role in things.

"For the first time in my life she wasn't there for me," Draco whispered, the pain etched on his handsome face. "She backed my father. In fact she even told me I was nothing but Blaise's sidekick."

Hermione visibly winced at the insult, knowing how such a remark would have hurt Draco, especially coming from his mother. A sidekick was the last way in which she would describe Draco, in fact he was a leader not a follower. The insult had clearly been said to hurt Draco, and Hermione could see in his grey eyes that he was very hurt by his mother's words.

"I'm so sorry Draco," Hermione offered quietly, mentally kicking herself for bringing up the topic of Draco's parents.

"What's done is done and there's nothing we can do to change it," Draco replied with a shrug.

"Maybe, but being seen with me can't be helping things," Hermione said. "Your parents won't like you getting involved with a muggleborn."

"Sod what my parents think," Draco snarled. "They've cut me off, so they've got no say in how I live my life. I'm the only one whose opinion matters, and I want to be with you. I want to see where this goes, Hermione."

"So do I," Hermione replied, squeezing Draco's hands.

"In that case let's forget about my parents and focus on more pleasant things," Draco said. "I've still got some charming to do if I want to get into your knickers."

"Yes you have," Hermione laughed. "Charm away, Draco, charm away."


	10. Chapter 10

Sitting at Draco's kitchen table, Blaise swigged on a bottle of beer as he watched on in amusement while his best friend tried his hand at cooking. Draco had a cookbook propped up on the kitchen bench, while pots and pans surrounded the confused blond. There was also food littered all over the benches as Draco tried to get to grips with the instructions in the book.

"I give in," Draco announced with a sigh. "These instructions make no sense. You need to speak some sort of special language to understand what the book is saying."

"I still don't get why you're trying to cook," Blaise remarked.

"I've already told you, Hermione is coming over for dinner."

"I get that part, but what's with the cooking yourself?" Blaise questioned. "Are you trying to kill her?"

"No, I'm trying to impress her," Draco muttered, turning back and surveying the scattered ingredients, wondering if he could still salvage dinner.

"Ah, I get it," Blaise chuckled dirtily. "Tonight's the big night. You're hoping to get lucky."

"Don't be so crude, Blaise," Draco ordered, shooting his best friend an unamused look over his shoulder.

"Wow, you really like her, don't you?" Blaise questioned with a smirk.

"I do," Draco admitted as he yet again abandoned his futile task of cooking and sat down opposite his best friend.

"Although I still can't believe you haven't slept together yet," Blaise remarked. "How long have you been seeing each other?"

"It's hard to say," Draco replied with a shrug. "We had that first date months ago, but then we were both busy and barely saw each other for weeks."

"Yeah, but you've been seeing each other pretty regularly since the launch of Red Diamond," Blaise pointed out. "And that was what, three weeks ago?"

"Which is really not that long at all," Draco argued.

"It is if you have as much sexual tension as you and Hermione do," Blaise snorted. "I can't believe one of you hasn't snapped and pounced on the other one. In your shoes, I would have been in there weeks ago."

"Yeah well, I'm not you, Blaise. Hermione and I are taking our time in getting to know each other."

"Well do it while naked, it's much more fun."

Draco rolled his eyes as Blaise as his own gaze once again drifted to the mess in his normally pristine kitchen. "What am I going to do? I have no idea how to turn this mess into something edible."

"Get a house elf to whip you something up," Blaise advised.

"You mean the Malfoy house elves who are no longer at my disposal?" Draco questioned with an arched eyebrow. "Besides, I don't think using elf labour is the ideal way to impress Hermione. You know that she's against House Elves being used as slaves."

"You may have a point there," Blaise conceded. "But I still think you need to find an alternative to cooking for her. Giving her food poisoning isn't going to get you into her knickers."

"Blaise," Draco warned in a low voice.

"Sorry," Blaise apologised with a chuckle. "But that is the aim tonight, isn't it? You want to do the deed?"

"If it happens, I wouldn't be complaining," Draco admitted.

"Of course you wouldn't. No red-blooded wizard complains about sex. Especially with a witch like Granger. She's pretty hot these days."

"Hands off Blaise," Draco warned, well aware that his best friend was always on the prowl for good looking witches.

"Yeah, I know, she's yours," Blaise laughed.

"Don't say that where she is, she'll kill us both," Draco chuckled. "Hermione is pretty independent, so I don't think she'd appreciate being called mine."

"Even if the thought of her being yours, turns you on?" Blaise teased.

"Blaise," Draco warned again, deciding his best friend was definitely pushing his luck. "Either help me with dinner, or sod off."

"I can't help you cook, but I can offer an alternative."

"Please don't say it's asking for Theo and Pansy to send over one of their elves," Draco muttered.

"No, we've decided elf labour is off the menu," Blaise retorted. "I have another suggestion. You've got time to nip to a fancy restaurant and pay for a take-away dinner. You can then pass the meal off as your own work."

"The restaurant idea is a good one," Draco admitted with a nod of his head. "But I don't think it's wise to claim credit for the meal."

"Why not? Witches love a wizard who can cook," Blaise said. "It's not the first time my culinary skills have wooed a witch."

"You mean your deceitful nature helped you get some action," Draco retorted. "Lying isn't going to impress Hermione. Okay, so she might be impressed tonight, but when happens when we keep seeing each other and she realises that I can't cook?"

"Who cares, by then you'll have impressed her with your skills in the bedroom," Blaise replied with a casual shrug. "She'll not dump you because you can't cook."

"I'm not taking that risk," Draco declared. "Honesty is going to be the best policy. Now can you do me a favour and nip out and grab me a meal while I try and tidy the mess here and get ready for tonight."

"Italian, alright?" Blaise asked as he got to his feet and shrugged on his jacket. "I know a lovely place just around the corner and I happen to be friendly with one of the waitresses. She'll ensure I get quick service."

"Are we talking restaurant service, or other services?" Draco asked with a smirk.

"If I'm lucky, both," Blaise replied with a wicked grin as he headed off and left Draco to clean up the mess he'd made in trying to cook.

Thankfully magic proved a godsend to Draco, and despite the mess he'd made, the kitchen was soon back to its usual spotless state. With the kitchen sorted, Draco headed off for a shower. By the time he emerged, Blaise still wasn't back so he began to get dressed. Although even with magic it still took him considerably longer than it had done to clean the kitchen as he was a perfectionist and wanted to look his best for Hermione.

In the end, Draco was still fixing his hair when he heard Blaise arrive back. When his best friend poked his head into the bedroom, he revealed he'd left the food in the kitchen for Draco to sort.

"Good luck and have fun tonight," Blaise called, giving his friend a jaunty wink and a wave as this time he left his friend's penthouse for good.

Finishing up with his hair, Draco wandered into the kitchen to sort out the food Blaise had procured for him. Putting the tiramisu into the fridge for later, he placed the lasagne on the kitchen bench along with some fresh garlic bread and charmed them to stay warm. Even Draco's culinary capabilities stretched enough for him to whip up a salad to accompany the meal and he'd just set the table when the floo sounded to signal he had a visitor.

"Draco," Hermione's voice called from the small room where the floo was located.

Making his way towards the floo room, Draco greeted his girlfriend. He then gave her a quick tour of the penthouse before they returned to the kitchen, where dinner was waiting.

"Wow, you didn't have to go to so much trouble," Hermione remarked as Draco pulled a bottle of wine out of the fridge.

"I have to admit, it's not homemade," Draco said, handing her a glass of wine. "I did try and cook, but it was a disaster. I couldn't even understand half of the instructions. So instead of poisoning you, I decided to get some take-out. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all," Hermione replied. "I would have done the exact same thing. Try as I might, I just can't get to grips with cooking. Even magic doesn't really help much."

"Luckily Blaise had an in with the Italian around the corner and saved the day," Draco said as he began to dish up the meal.

"Are we talking an Italian restaurant or an Italian witch?" Hermione asked. "Because with Blaise, I'm never quite sure."

"He's friendly with one of the waitresses at the restaurant apparently," Draco replied with a laugh. "Whether she's Italian, I have no idea."

"Somehow I think Blaise is the sort who can charm witches of all nationalities."

"He can that," Draco agreed with a nod. "Although perhaps we could find something more interesting to talk about than Blaise. I spend most of my days with him, so the last thing I want to do is talk about him when I'm with you."

"I'm sure we can find something else to discuss," Hermione replied with a flirtatious smile.

"I'm sure we can," Draco agreed, smiling back at his girlfriend.

With the topic of Blaise put to bed, the couple spent the next hour enjoying their meal and chatting about their lives. Hermione told Draco all about the latest cases she'd been handling, while he kept her up to date with how the club and new wine bar were doing. They then moved on to talking about friends and family, and finally the subject of officially meeting each other's friends was raised.

"You would really have dinner with my best friends?" Hermione checked as she and Draco finished their dessert and taking fresh glasses of wine, relocated to the front room.

"I would," Draco replied. "If we're going to be together, I can't avoid your friends forever. Besides, I know some of them and have no issues with them. I get on well enough with Potter and She-Potter, and the twins are great fun."

"Firstly, it might help matters if you use Harry and Ginny's first names. I don't think Ginny would appreciate being called She-Potter."

"How about Red?" Draco asked.

"What's wrong with Ginny?" Hermione questioned.

"It's strange," Draco admitted. "I never thought I would address a Weasley by their first name. Or Potter for that matter."

"You never had any problem switching to using my first name in seventh year," Hermione argued.

"That was because I fancied you," Draco retorted. "I don't fancy Potter, his wife, or any other Weasley."

"Even so you can learn to use their first names," Hermione insisted.

"I can try," Draco reluctantly conceded. "But you're not going to expect me to be able to tell the twins apart, are you? That, I could never manage."

"The family still struggle with that, so no, I don't expect you to keep the twins straight," Hermione answered. "Although there is someone we've yet to mention. You might know Harry and get along with him these days, but there's still Ron to contend with."

"Ah, Weaselbee," Draco sighed. "Does he still hate me?"

"He will if you call him Weaselbee," Hermione frowned. "I'll be honest here, I don't ever see you and Ron becoming bosom buddies. However, he's promised to make the effort and try and get along with you."

"The least I can do is make the same promise," Draco interrupted. "You won't get any trouble from me, Hermione."

"Good," Hermione replied with a smile. "So what about your friends? Will they accept me?"

"You already know Blaise approves," Draco answered. "Vince and Greg are both pretty easy going and aren't likely to kick up a fuss. Theo's also pretty laid back, so he should be fine."

"And what about your female friends, I notice you've yet to mention them," Hermione remarked. "I know Pansy's never liked me, and won't it be awkward with Daphne considering you spurned her little sister?"

"Daph lives in France," Draco informed his girlfriend. "Maybe we could have a weekend away one time and arrange to have dinner with her. And I can promise you the Astoria thing doesn't matter to Daphne. She knows exactly what her sister is like, and she knows what it's like to follow your dreams rather than live the life your parents have picked out for you."

"And Pansy?" Hermione prompted as Draco stopped to refill their wine glasses.

"Pansy is very traditional," Draco admitted carefully, not wanting to badmouth one of his oldest friends. "She likely thinks I'm making a mistake defying my parents and dating a muggleborn, but at the end of the day, she's my friend and she won't create waves. Besides, with any luck she'll be too concerned with welcoming Wilhelmina into the world."

"Wilhelmina?" Hermione questioned, assuming that Draco was referring to the baby Pansy was due to have. She'd seen her at Red Diamond's opening and she'd looked ready to pop then.

"Mina for short," Draco replied. "Just don't mention that to Pansy. She hates names being shortened. I think Theo is going to wait until she's officially named before revealing the shortened version of her name."

"If she hates shortened names so much, why pick names that can be shortened?" Hermione asked.

"To be fair, I don't think she's picked up on the fact it can be shortened," Draco admitted. "She was just desperate to avoid Winnifred so that the name couldn't be shortened to Fred."

"Or Winnie," Hermione snickered. "Oh god, I can just picture it now. Winnie the Witch."

"I'm missing a joke, aren't I?"

"Sorry, it's a muggle thing. When I was a kid there were books about Winnie the Witch. I used to love them," Hermione explained. "I just think it would be hilarious if Pansy named her kid after a muggle book character."

"That would be funny," Draco admitted with a chuckle. "However, Winnie is no more and Mina is on her way."

"Before or after I meet them?" Hermione asked. "I don't want to burden Pansy if she's about ready to pop."

"She is about due, but she's been complaining about being ready to give birth for months," Draco said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "I pity poor Theo, he's had nine months of hell. It makes you think twice about having kids."

"You've thought about having kids?" Hermione asked with a teasing smile.

"I'm talking way into the distant future," Draco replied. "Besides, kids are hardly on the horizon right now."

"No, for that to happen, sex has to be involved."

"Really? I had no idea," Draco gasped with a laugh. "And here was me thinking sex was all about pleasure."

"I like the sound of that," Hermione purred as she placed her wine glass down on the table and leaned closer to Draco. "How much pleasure are we talking?"

"Enough to make you beg for more," Draco returned in a low voice as he also deposited his wine glass onto the table and focused on his girlfriend.

"That is quite some promise," Hermione whispered. "Can you live up to it?"

"Try me and see," Draco replied, licking his lips in invitation.

Accepting the invitation, Hermione pressed her lips against Draco's. From there it didn't take long for the temperature to rise and clothes to be shed. The couple did make it to Draco's bedroom, leaving a trail of clothing in their wake, where they collapsed onto his king sized bed and spent several hours getting to know each other a bit more intimately.


	11. Chapter 11

When Hermione arrived at Draco's penthouse so they could go and have dinner with his friends, Blaise was already present and downing a large glass of fire-whisky. In just under half an hour, they were due at Theo and Pansy's for dinner as when Draco had suggested an evening for his friends to get to know Hermione, Pansy had balked at the idea of going out in her heavily pregnant state, but not wanting to be left out, she'd insisted everyone should dine at their house.

"Go careful with the booze, Blaise," Draco cautioned his friend as he poured himself another large helping of fire-whisky.

"I'm merely fortifying myself for the evening ahead," Blaise replied. "If you and Hermione were smart, you'd be seeking Dutch courage as well."

"Will the evening really be that bad?" Hermione asked, nibbling at her lower lip. She was already rather anxious about having dinner with Draco's friends, all of whom she'd known in school and none of whom had liked her, and Blaise's comments weren't helping settle her nerves.

"Of course not," Draco assured his girlfriend. "Blaise is merely exaggerating."

"I'm not," Blaise informed Hermione. "Believe me Hermione, an evening with the Parkinson-Notts requires Dutch courage."

"Parkinson-Nott?" Hermione frowned. "Did Pansy keep her old name?"

Hermione was surprised at the idea of Pansy hanging onto her maiden name as the wizarding world was fairly old fashioned and from her experiences, married witches tended to use their husband's name. Even Ginny, who had been making a name for herself in the quidditch world, changed her name to Potter upon marrying Harry. It seemed to Hermione that once a witch was married she gave up all claims to her former name, even if sometimes it made more sense to keep using her old name.

"She double barrelled the names," Draco answered.

"So is Theo now a Parkinson-Nott?" Hermione questioned.

"No, for once Theo stood his ground and he remained a plain old Nott," Draco replied. "However, Pansy is a Parkinson-Nott, as is Max and Mina will also be one."

"That's very unusual in the wizarding world," Hermione remarked. "Most witches just take their husband's name. What made Pansy hold onto her maiden name?"

"Officially, it was because she's the last Parkinson and being a female the family name would die out once she was married," Blaise said. "But unofficially, and more accurately, it's because she thinks Parkinson-Nott sounds posher than just Nott."

"Oh," Hermione muttered, not really sure how to respond. It sounded to her as though Pansy was a bit of a snob, but she didn't want to say as much and offend Draco.

"It's okay Hermione, you can say it," Draco said with a chuckle. "Pansy is a snob."

"Yeah, poor Theo's family name wasn't quite classy enough for her," Blaise said. "This way she gets the prestige of being a Nott, but also reminds people that she's a Parkinson by birth."

"So she's basically flaunting her two family connections," Hermione remarked.

"Pretty much," Blaise agreed with a nod. "Although we all know she wouldn't have done the same thing if she'd married someone like Draco. There's no way she would double barrel the name Malfoy. After all, you can't get much classier in our world than being a Malfoy."

"Not that a marriage to me was ever on the table," Draco said quickly, giving his best friend an annoyed glare. The last thing he wanted was for Hermione to think that he'd almost ended up married to his former girlfriend.

"Why not?" Hermione asked. She wasn't at all bothered by Draco's past as she also had a past and who they'd previously dated had nothing to do with the relationship they were now embarking on. "You did date her in school."

"Very briefly," Draco admitted. "By the time Pansy's father began to think of looking for a suitable husband for her, our relationship was over so it didn't make much sense for him to look at me. Theo was obviously a good option, and his father was more than happy to arrange a marriage with Pansy's father."

"That's such a sad way to live," Hermione said with a sigh. "It must be so horrible having no say over your own life."

"You can have a say if you really want," Blaise said. "Just look at Draco. He refused to let his parents dictate his life, and here he is, really happy with you."

"But he's without his parents," Hermione said quietly.

"Which is no fault of yours," Draco insisted as he took hold of Hermione's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Blaise is right, I could have ended up like Theo, but I chose to stand up for myself and pursue my own dreams and find happiness."

"Are you saying Theo and Pansy are unhappy?" Hermione asked, wondering just what sort of situation she was about to walk into.

"Actually, I don't think they are," Draco admitted. Even though Theo had never admitted to loving his wife, Draco knew that he did love her these days. "They might not have picked each other, and initially there was a lot of conflict between them, but over time they've come to care for each other. In fact, I would say they love each other. And there's no denying that these days their marriage works for them. Pansy always did like being in charge, and even though he complains, Theo is quite content with a wife who wears the trousers."

"Theo's very much the anything for a quiet life sort," Blaise chuckled.

"As opposed to you, who lives for excitement," Draco retorted.

"That I do," Blaise grinned. "Which is why I think our next project should be a casino. I'm thinking Green Diamond."

"You're looking to set up another business already?" Hermione gasped in surprise.

"No," Draco answered. "There will be no new business until Red Diamond is firmly established."

"Yeah, yeah, you've already said," Blaise muttered, rolling his eyes at his cautious business partner. "But there's no harm in thinking of the future."

"We can discuss this in another few months," Draco told his friend. "But for now, we need to get going or else we're going to be late."

"We really don't want that," Blaise whispered to Hermione. "Pansy is bad enough at the best of times, but she's downright demonic when she's pregnant."

"This is going to be fun," Hermione muttered to herself, hoping she didn't say anything to anger a very pregnant Pansy.

Once Draco had secured the wards to the penthouse, he took hold of Hermione's arm and apparated them to a large house outside of London. Blaise landed seconds after they did, and Hermione was still admiring the large building they'd arrived at when Draco knocked on the door. The door was answered by a house elf, and as they were ushered inside and the elf took their coats, Hermione couldn't help but frown. Her house elf initiative to free the small creatures had failed to take off, despite years of campaigning, and it made her blood boil when she encountered house elves who were still forced to serve witches and wizards. Still, she understood that the wizarding world had its own set of standards and as pure-bloods Theo and Pansy wouldn't know any different when it came to house elves. Maybe in time she could get to know them and get a chance to share her views, but she didn't think a first meeting was the place to berate them for using house elves.

"Master and Mistress are in the lounge," the elf informed the trio before vanishing with the coats.

Slipping her hand into Draco's, Hermione followed him into a large, comfortable looking room. Pansy was sitting on the sofa, her large frame taking up a fair bit of space. Theo, who had been sitting opposite his wife on a chair, jumped to his feet to greet their guests. On another sofa sat Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, along with a witch Hermione recognised as Millicent Bullstrode.

"You're almost late," Pansy tutted as Theo handed out drinks and they sat down, with Draco and Hermione joining Pansy on the sofa while Blaise settled in the second chair next to Theo.

"Almost, but not quite," Blaise replied with a grin. "Besides, Tracey isn't here either."

"She isn't coming," Theo said. "Her mother took a tumble down the stairs and she's looking after her."

"I hope her mother is alright," Hermione said.

"Don't worry about Tracey's mother, she's a tough old dragon," Pansy snorted. "Knowing that old bat she fell down the stairs on purpose because she knew Tracey was going out for the evening."

"I'm sure she wouldn't do anything that extreme," Draco said, although he didn't sound too convincing.

"I'm sure she would," Pansy retorted. "We all know that since her husband died she's made Tracey's life a living hell. I'm always telling Tracey she needs to stand up for herself. There's nothing worse than people who try and run the lives of others."

"Indeed there isn't," Blaise said, exchanging amused glances with Draco. "So Pans, where's little Max tonight?"

"Maximillian is in his nursery," Pansy replied. "He's already had his dinner and will be retiring for the night shortly. Tonight is just for us adults. Besides, we don't want him getting attached to Granger if she's going to be leaving our lives again soon."

"Why would I be leaving?" Hermione asked.

"Who knows what the future will bring," Pansy replied with a shrug. "You and Draco might be happy now, but there's no guarantee it will stay that way. Draco's incredibly hard to cope with. He's far too stubborn for his own good."

"It's a good job I'm just as stubborn," Hermione remarked. "Maybe I can meet your son another day, Pansy."

"We'll see," Pansy muttered non-committedly as she hauled herself to her feet. "I need to use the bathroom. Theodore, check and see if the elves are nearly ready to serve dinner."

"Yes, dear," Theo replied with a nod as his wife waddled towards the door.

However, before Theo could summon an elf to check on the progress of dinner, Pansy let out a squeal. Everyone turned to find Pansy standing in the doorway, clutching the doorframe and gazing down at the floor in horror.

"Pansy," Theo cried, rushing to his wife's side. "What's wrong?"

"My waters have just broken," Pansy said quietly. "This is the worst timing ever. Who has a baby when they're hosting a dinner party?"

"Clearly little Wilhelmina is eager to meet us," Theo replied with a grin.

"Don't worry about dinner, Pans," Draco said to his friend. "You focus on the baby. We can all have dinner some other time. We should all leave so you can get off to the hospital."

"I'm not going to the hospital," Pansy said. "We're having a home birth. I've got a birthing room all set up. Theodore, contact the private healers and tell them it's time. Millicent, can you help me upstairs?"

"Of course I can," Millicent answered as she rushed over to her friend.

"And the rest of your stay here," Pansy ordered, looking around at her other friends. "I want you to stay and have dinner. By the time you've eaten, I should have given birth. I've been assured the magic we're going to use will lead to a speedy birth."

"We really can leave, Pansy," Draco said with a slight frown. "We don't want to be a hassle."

"It's no hassle, the elves have already cooked," Pansy replied. "Stay and eat, I insist. Now come on Millicent, let's get upstairs before this baby pops out in front of everyone."

"Are we really staying?" Hermione asked warily once Pansy and Millicent had departed the room.

"She'll only shout at us if we don't," Blaise remarked with a shrug as he crossed over to the bar in the corner of the room and poured some fresh drinks.

"So we're going to have dinner, while Pansy is upstairs giving birth?" Hermione checked.

"So it seems," Draco replied with a shrug.

"This is the strangest dinner party I've ever attended," Hermione muttered as she accepted another drink from Blaise.

Strange was definitely an apt description of the evening as while Pansy was in labour, with Theo by her side, the others remained downstairs eating the gorgeous dinner the elves had prepared. With magic silencing the rooms upstairs, they had no idea if Pansy had given birth by the time they finished dinner and headed back into the lounge. With no-one wanting to go and check on progress, the group remained in the front room drinking and talking until an excited Theo burst into the room.

"It's a girl," he announced with glee.

"We know Theo," Blaise chuckled. "You've been preparing for a girl for months."

"I know, but now she's here and it's real," Theo said as he collapsed into a chair and picking up Blaise's half drank glass of fire-whisky he downed the remaining contents. "I've got a daughter. I'm a father of two. I have two children."

"It's good to see you can still do maths," Draco joked. "But seriously Theo, congratulations. How's Pansy?"

"Great," Theo replied with a grin. "She's getting ready for visitors."

"Now?" Millicent asked. "Isn't she tired after giving birth?"

"She was insistent we used magical aid this time, so it was a quick and relatively easy birth," Theo explained. "And now she wants to see everyone and introduce you all to our new daughter."

"She just wants to check that none of us have ran away," Blaise laughed.

Even though Hermione wasn't sure the invitation included her, Draco was insistent that she went with the others to visit Pansy, so she found herself standing with the Slytherins as they met the newest Parkinson-Nott. If Pansy hadn't meant to include Hermione in the invitation she didn't say anything as she was clearly ecstatic after giving birth and all her focus was on her new-born daughter.

"She really is lovely, Pansy," Draco said as he kissed his friend on the cheek. "Congratulations."

"I'm sorry about dinner," she returned, including Hermione in her apology. "Maybe in a few weeks we can try again."

"I'd like that," Hermione replied with a smile. "Congratulations again, Pansy. Your daughter is perfect."

"Thank you," Pansy whispered as her focus once again drifted to the baby she was cradling in her arms.

Finally saying their goodbyes, the group departed for the evening, leaving the Parkinson-Notts to get used to the newest addition to their family. While the others went their separate ways, Hermione headed back to Draco's for a final drink, hoping that when her boyfriend met her friends in a few days' time, the evening was more straightforward than the evening they'd just had. Although to be fair, it wasn't like any of her friends were pregnant and were going to give birth during dinner.


	12. Chapter 12

After her dramatic introduction to Draco's friends, Hermione was hoping for a drama free evening when her boyfriend met her friends. When she'd been arranging the evening she'd debated for a while over what sort of gathering to organise. Since Draco had mentioned the twins, and how well he got along with them, she had initially thought about arranging a larger gathering. However, in the end she decided in something more intimate as at a larger gathering it would be easy for Draco and her closest friends to avoid each other, and the whole idea of the meeting was for her boyfriend to get to know the people she was closest to.

Hermione's more intimate gathering involved three other couples. First on her list had been Harry and Ginny, and a close second had been Ron and Lavender. Of course neither couple were a surprise to Draco, but he had been slightly taken aback when she'd included Neville Longbottom and his fiancée, Luna Lovegood, in the mix. But as Hermione explained to her boyfriend, Harry and Ron may have been her best friends, but Neville had been her first friend in the wizarding world and the pair still had a special bond that she cherished.

For the setting of their meeting, Hermione had booked them a table at a low key restaurant. The restaurant was situated a few miles from The Burrow, and it offered stunning views of the surrounding countryside. It was actually a favourite place of several of the Weasleys, and Hermione herself loved the laid back atmosphere and the fact you weren't required to dress up to dine there.

On the afternoon of the gathering, Draco had arrived at Hermione's, supposedly so she could calm his nerves about the meeting, but the couple had quickly gotten distracted and had instead spent the afternoon in bed. Currently they were lying entangled in Hermione's bed, neither of them in any hurry to get up and face the world.

"Maybe we should cancel and stay here all evening," Draco suggested, his hands lazily traversing Hermione's naked body.

"As nice as that sounds, it's not an option," Hermione replied. "If we cancel, someone is bound to turn up to find out what's wrong."

"Then we don't answer the door and stay in bed," Draco retorted.

"Harry has a key for emergencies," Hermione said. "And Ginny would borrow it and let herself in."

"Do your friends have any boundaries?" Draco asked with a frown.

"They might draw the line at insisting people stay for dinner as they give birth," Hermione joked. It had been nearly a week since they'd had dinner at the Parkinson-Notts, and Hermione still couldn't believe Pansy had insisted they stay and eat while she gave birth.

"Most normal people would draw the line at that," Draco agreed with a laugh. "But Pansy is very unique."

"She's also very protective," Hermione remarked, sitting up slightly so she could see Draco properly. "I don't think she likes me. She certainly doesn't think I'm sticking around."

"Then she's wrong, because I have no intention of letting you go," Draco said softly. "And she will come round when she sees how happy I really am. Right now, she's just worried that I'm making a mistake by not bending to my father's will and trying to get him to forgive me."

"Could you get him to forgive you?" Hermione asked curiously. Even though Draco had explained the situation with his parents, she wasn't sure if it their relationship was still salvageable.

"Maybe if I went crawling back to him and agreed to marry a nice pure-blood girl," Draco replied. "Although knowing father he'd also want me to end my partnership with Blaise and join him in the family business."

"And you wouldn't consider doing that?" Hermione questioned in a low voice.

"No, I wouldn't," Draco replied, gently running a finger down Hermione's cheek. "It would mean giving you up."

"But it would mean you would get your parents back," Hermione retorted gently. "I know it breaks your heart that you're estranged."

"It does," Draco conceded. "But even without you in the picture, I wouldn't be giving in. If I wasn't going to toe the line and do as my father wished when I was single, I'm certainly not going to give up a witch I'm rapidly falling in love with."

"Love," Hermione gasped. "You're falling in love with me."

"I am," Draco replied with a small smile. "Although truth be told, I think I was halfway there back in school. This is what I want, Hermione. I want to be with someone I care about and who makes me feel alive. I want to be with someone I'm in love with. And my parents should understand that. If they can't love me as I am, it's not my fault. I won't sacrifice my own happiness just to uphold the family reputation."

"And what if eventually being estranged from your parents makes you unhappy?" Hermione asked. "I know this isn't about me, and I know this is something that happened before we got together. But I would hate to think you lost a chance to reconcile with your parents because of our relationship."

"Even if I never speak to them again, it's not your fault Hermione," Draco insisted. "I'm open to reconciliation. All they have to do is respect me and the choices I make in my life. If they can't do that, then they're the ones missing out. I can't force them to love and accept me, Hermione, and I don't want to. If they honestly can't see that I'm happy as I am, then I don't want them in my life."

Nodding at Draco's sentiments, and sensing that it was time to change the subject before things got thoroughly depressing, Hermione pressed herself closer to Draco and admitted that she just might be falling in love with him as well.

"Only might?" Draco asked with a disappointed pout.

"I'm not really sure, I think I might need some convincing," Hermione purred seductively.

"I'm sure I can convince you that I'm the wizard of your dreams," Draco replied cockily as his hand slid in between Hermione's thighs.

"That would be good," Hermione replied with a gasp as Draco's talented fingers sprung into action.

After a stellar performance from Draco, Hermione admitted that she was definitely falling in love with the handsome blond wizard. But then she reminded him that it was time they were getting out of bed as they still had an evening with her friends to get ready for.

"How about we shower together, it'll save water," Draco suggested as Hermione wriggled out of his embrace and got out of bed.

"But not time," Hermione retorted. "If we shower together, we'll get distracted and be in there longer."

"Maybe, but think of the fun we'll have," Draco responded with a cocky smirk as he rose from Hermione's bed.

"You're incorrigible," Hermione muttered, even as she took Draco by the hand and led him to her bathroom.

One long, sexy, shower later, the couple were back in Hermione's bedroom getting ready for their evening out. As she sat at her dressing table, applying a light coat of make-up, Hermione was aware of Draco watching her, and she couldn't help but smile at how domestic the scene was. It was the first time they'd gotten ready to go out together, and Hermione couldn't help but think that it made it feel as though they were more of a couple. Not that they hadn't been a couple before, but it was just more intimate to be getting ready together.

"What's with the smile?" Draco asked. "Are you thinking how lucky you are to have such a sinfully sexy boyfriend, who also happens to be a demon in the bedroom?"

"I certainly don't have a modest boyfriend," Hermione laughed.

"I don't do modest," Draco retorted with a shrug. "So what are you smiling about?"

"I'm just thinking how nice this is, both getting ready together," Hermione admitted.

"I guess it is pretty good," Draco replied. "Sort of a taster for when we live together."

"Live together?" Hermione whirled around in her seat, totally taken aback by the mention of them living together. After all, they'd only been together a couple of months.

"Relax, I'm not asking you to move in with me," Draco laughed, noting the look of panic on Hermione's face. "It's too early for that. But it is the next logical step. Especially since we have just sort of admitted we love each other."

"We're getting there," Hermione replied with a small smile. "But let's not rush things. I don't want to spoil what could be something special by rushing into something we're not ready for."

Draco fully agreed with Hermione, and the pair continued to get ready without any further mention of the future. Right now they were focused on one night, and Draco was eager to make a good impression on Hermione's friends. On a personal level, it didn't really bother him whether they liked him or not, but like his friends mattered to him, Hermione's mattered to her, and he didn't want to be the cause of any problems between them.

"Are you ready?" Hermione asked as she pulled on her jacket.

"I'm ready," Draco confirmed with a nod.

Since Draco had never actually been to the restaurant they were visiting, Hermione apparated them both to their destination. As it turned out they were the first to arrive, and the waiter showed them to a corner table beside a large window.

"This place seems nice," Draco remarked as they settled down to wait for the others to arrive.

"It's nothing fancy, but the food is delicious and the service is great," Hermione replied. "Plus it has stunning views."

Draco was admiring the views as the Potters arrived, followed a few minutes later by Ron and his fiancée. Draco was still in the middle of politely shaking Ron's hand when Neville and Luna turned up and their group was complete.

"This is nice," Hermione said conversationally as everyone settled down in their seats.

"Relax Hermione, we're here to have fun," Harry urged his friend. "You don't have to try so hard."

"I just want everyone to get along," Hermione said, glancing between Draco and Ron.

"Don't you just love the way she looks at us?" Ron asked Draco with a slight smile. "Obviously she thinks we're the trouble makers."

"She knows us so well, Weasley," Draco replied, laughing softly.

"I guess she does," Ron conceded. "But I for one, plan on proving her wrong. I'm sure we can learn to tolerate one another, Malfoy."

"I'm sure we can," Draco agreed.

"See, there was no need to worry," Ginny whispered loudly to Hermione. "They didn't hex each other on sight."

"Because they knew Hermione would kill the pair of them if they did," Harry laughed.

"We do know how to behave," Ron tutted. "And I gave my word I would be nice."

"As did I," Draco agreed. "So Weasley, what's it's like to work up in Hogsmeade? You run your brothers second shop up there, don't you?"

"I do," Ron confirmed with a nod.

As Ron began to talk about to Draco about his work up at Hogsmeade, Hermione watched with relief. It was blatantly clear that the conversation was slightly forced, but it was equally as clear that both men were making a genuine effort. As Hermione had already thought, her boyfriend and best friend would never be great buddies, but they could certainly learn to get along with each other.

With Ron and Draco having broken the ice, conversation was then pretty free flowing between the group. Draco seemed to be taking a genuine interest in Hermione's friends and he asked plenty of questions, and listened fully to the answers. In return Hermione's friends fired questions at Draco, although Hermione had warned them all to steer clear of the topic of his parents. News of the estrangement had started to leak out in the press, but as of yet it wasn't public knowledge that it had gone as far as Lucius cutting Draco out of the Malfoy family.

"A friend and I were in your club last week," Lavender said. "It was really good."

"Thank you," Draco replied with a genuine smile.

"Luna and I were at the wine bar last night," Neville remarked. "It's a lovely place. Your partner was there, making everyone feel right at home."

"He's very charming," Luna added.

"That's Blaise," Draco agreed with a chuckle. "He can charm the birds from the trees, or in his case the underwear from a sexy witch."

"I'd heard that he had a bit of a reputation with the opposite sex," Ginny said.

"Blaise likes variety in his love life," Draco said diplomatically.

"And you?" Ron asked.

"I'm a one woman wizard," Draco replied, giving Hermione a small smile. "Especially now I've found the right witch."

Taking in the way Hermione smiled back at Draco, and the way the pair only seemed to have eyes for each other, Ron nodded in acceptance. Then, not wanting the pair to get too gooey as there was only so far his acceptance would stretch, he asked Draco about plans for expanding his business empire.

"Blaise already has a new idea," Draco admitted. "He wants to open a casino next. Green Diamond."

"A casino sounds fun," Harry remarked. "When is it opening?"

"It's just an idea at the moment," Draco replied. "Blaise likes to fly before he can walk. We're not opening anything new until Red Diamond is fully established."

"But he can at least plan ahead," Luna said.

"That's true," Draco agreed with a nod. "Knowing Blaise he'll have everything sorted for when I give him the go-ahead to buy somewhere new."

"At this rate you're going to end up with a massive empire," Neville remarked with a low whistle.

"That is the idea," Draco replied with a low chuckle. "An empire would be nice to pass onto my children. If if course it's what they wanted."

"And if they didn't want it?" Harry questioned.

"Then I would support whatever it was they did want," Draco said solemnly, his mind clearly on his parents.

Not wanting the mood to darken, Hermione quickly changed the topic by asking about the upcoming world cup, which both Harry and Ginny were hoping to be involved in. With Hermione's lack of interest in quidditch, everyone at the table knew what she was doing, but everyone played along and the topic was changed. With the conversation about quidditch in full flow, Draco whispered a thank you to Hermione.

"Any time," Hermione replied as she gave her boyfriend a brief peck. "And thank you for making an effort tonight."

"What can I say, these Gryffindors aren't as bad as I once thought," Draco replied with a shrug. "I'm actually having a good time."

And the good time continued for the rest of the evening, and by the time everyone went their separate ways, Hermione was happy to call the evening a success. Eager to celebrate the success of the evening, Hermione asked Draco back to hers and they spent the rest of the night having their own private fun.


	13. Chapter 13

Narcissa prepared to get ready for little Wilhelmina Parkinson-Nott's naming ceremony with mixed feelings. On one hand it would be the first time she would be in the presence of her son for several months, but on the other hand, she knew she would be unable to talk to Draco. Nothing had really changed with their situation, or at least nothing positive. If anything things were only getting worse and a reconciliation between her husband and son seemed further away than ever.

Narcissa's hopes of a quick resolution to the families issues had been dented when she'd seen the picture in the Daily Prophet of Draco with Hermione at the opening of his new wine bar. However, her hopes that it was a brief liaison that would fizzle out hadn't come true. Several weeks later Draco and Hermione were still going strong, and although they both shied away from the limelight the press loved them and they were the current golden couple of Wizarding Britain.

Of course, such publicity meant that Lucius had gotten wind of the romance, and he'd reacted with predictable ire. Of all the people to get involved with, Draco seemed to have picked the worst person possible. Lucius was outraged by their son's antics, and he'd admitted to Narcissa that even when the relationship died out, he would not find it easy to forgive his son for dabbling with a muggleborn.

Not that the relationship showed any sign of dying out, and from what Narcissa had witnessed in the paparazzi pictures of her son and his new girlfriend, they were very much in love. For the first time in his life, it looked like Draco had met someone he wanted to settle down with. The only problem was, if he did marry Hermione, Narcissa would lose her only son for good. At the moment there was still a slender chance of her son returning to the family fold, but that chance was shrinking daily and Narcissa knew it would vanish completely if he ever did the unthinkable and married a muggleborn.

"Are you nearly ready?" Lucius asked, emerging from the bathroom and jolting Narcissa from her thoughts.

"Are you sure we should be attending?" Narcissa questioned.

"Why wouldn't we attend?" Lucius asked with a frown. "We've known both Theodore and Pansy since they were born, and the Parkinsons and the Notts are old family friends. It's expected that we'll be there."

"But we won't be the only Malfoys there," Narcissa pointed out. "In case you've forgotten, Theodore is one of Draco's best friends. Our son will be there, Lucius."

"I'm well aware of that Narcissa," Lucius said stiffly. "But it changes nothing. We will be there as it will be expected of us."

"And what if our family issues causes a scene?" Narcissa questioned. "I'd never live down the embarrassment of ruining little Wilhelmina's naming ceremony."

"There will be no scene caused by us," Lucius replied confidently. "You and I will maintain our dignified silence on the matter. And despite his shortcomings, I have to admit Draco is behaving impeccably in regards to our situation. I can't see him causing a scene either."

The behaviour Lucius was referring to was Draco's lack of comment on the rumours that had began to swirl both in the press and among the public in regards to the estrangement in the family. It had only been a matter of time before it became public knowledge that Draco had been cut out of the family, and sure enough the entire wizarding population in Britain now knew that Draco had been disinherited. However, not one of the Malfoys had either officially confirmed the estrangement, or admitted the reason for it. Of course that led to speculation, which had grown substantially as Draco's romance with Hermione had blossomed, but gossips and speculation was all the public had to go on as the Malfoys were keeping quiet about what they viewed as a private family matter.

"We're still going to have to be in the same place as him and act as though he's nothing to us," Narcissa whispered in a broken voice. "I don't know if I can do that, Lucius. It's one thing to deal with him not being part of our lives when we never see him, but how can we just ignore him in public?"

"What else can we do, Cissa?" Lucius retorted, sounding equally as troubled as his wife. "We've been over this time and time again. I did the right thing for the family, even if it did break my heart doing it. But Draco was the one who chose to walk away. I gave him time. He could have fixed things."

"I know," Narcissa whispered, taking hold of Lucius's hand in hers. Even though she knew Lucius was pained by his actions and regretted acting so hastily, she also knew that now it was done there was no going back for her husband. Draco had to be the one to make the move towards reconciliation, even if at the moment she didn't see it happening.

"Today won't be easy, but we can get through it together," Lucius said, gently running his thumb down the side of Narcissa's face. "I need you to stand with me, Narcissa. We need to put on a united front."

"I'll be right by your side the entire day," Narcissa vowed. Giving her husband a brief kiss, she then turned back to getting ready for the afternoon ahead.

Half an hour later the Malfoys were ready to go, and picking up their present for little Wilhelmina they headed to the posh hotel the Parkinson-Notts had hired to play host to their daughter's naming ceremony. Upon arrival, Lucius and Narcissa greeted Pansy and Theo, handed over their present and grabbed some drinks before mingling with the couple's parents and the older set of guests.

About fifteen minutes before the naming ceremony was due to start, Narcissa witnessed her son's arrival with his girlfriend on his arm. Hermione was looking lovely in a knee length cream dress with a delicate pink flower design, and Narcissa knew that if she'd been a pureblood her husband would have approved of their son being with such a well put together and attractive witch. But sadly she wasn't a pureblood, and even the fact she seemed to be getting along quite swimmingly with Pansy, didn't change the fact that at the naming ceremony and in their social circle, she was something of a pariah.

"Don't," Lucius whispered in her ear as he subtly turned his wife away from their son. "You're only making this harder on yourself."

"I don't think this can get any harder," Narcissa admitted, trying her hardest not to turn around and search for Draco.

Squeezing her hand reassuringly, Lucius kept his wife distracted until it was time to take their seats for the naming ceremony. Their seats were situated quite close to the front as they were old friends of both families, but it also meant they were only sitting a few seats away from Draco and Hermione. Being so close to Draco, Narcissa couldn't help but steal glances at her son, and she couldn't help but notice the intimacy that existed between him and Hermione. Throughout the ceremony they were holding hands the entire time, and several times Draco whispered something in her ear which made her smile. The couple also exchanged several smiles that told Narcissa that the pictures she'd seen in the papers had told the truth. Her son was in love with a muggleborn, which meant she'd lost him for good.

**{}{}{}{}{}**

"Why do I feel like every eye is on me?" Hermione whispered to Draco as they took their seats for Wilhelmina's naming ceremony.

It hadn't escaped her attention that their seats were only a few chairs down from where Draco's parents were sitting, but it wasn't just the attention of Lucius and Narcissa that Hermione felt was on her. Ever since they arrived at the ceremony, she felt as though she was being scrutinised by the guests.

"I did warn you that you'd be a novelty this afternoon," Draco whispered back.

"Have these people never seen a muggleborn before?" Hermione hissed. "Surely they all attended school with at least one."

"But you'll be one of the first to attend a proper society event," Draco replied. "Occasions like this are normally pure-bloods only, or at the very worst a couple of half-bloods."

"These people are so backward," Hermione muttered with a shake of her head. "I'm surprised I was even invited."

"Theo and Pansy were hardly going to invite me and leave you out," Draco said, his fingers trailing patterns on the back of Hermione's hand as he held it in his hand. "Besides, I think Pansy is warming up to you."

"She may be a snob, but I think deep down there's a really nice person trying to get out," Hermione returned in a whisper. "Besides, she clearly thinks the world of you, and she's a good friend to you. Your happiness means more to her than my blood status."

"If only other people felt the same way," Draco muttered, his eyes flicking towards his parents.

He'd been aware of Narcissa shooting him sly glances, but he'd yet to catch his mother's eye and see how she would react. He also thought he'd felt Lucius's eyes on him on more than one occasion, but every time he so much as glanced towards his father, his attention seemed to be elsewhere.

"You could try talking to them after the ceremony," Hermione suggested as Draco turned his attention back to the front of the room, where Wilhelmina was about to be officially named.

"No," Draco said with a slight shake of his head. "They can see I'm here, if they want to talk to me then they will."

Aware that Draco was being just as stubborn as his parents, but not wanting to push the matter, Hermione let the subject drop as she and her boyfriend watched Wilhelmina being officially named and welcomed into the Parkinson-Nott family. As the magic tying Wilhelmina to her family whirled around the small baby, manifesting itself as pale lilac wisps, Hermione felt Draco grip her hand tighter and when she glanced up at her boyfriend she saw his attention was back on his parents. More specifically it was on Narcissa, who was gazing at her son with obvious regret swimming in her crystal blue eyes. If it hadn't been for the fact the ceremony was still on-going, Hermione would have made Draco speak to his mother, but they were each stuck in their seats and the second the ceremony was over there was such a rush for people to get up and head to the reception that Hermione lost track of Draco's parents.

"Let's go for a walk," Draco suggested, steering Hermione towards the gardens rather than the ballroom the reception was being held in.

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked once they were outside in the fresh air.

"I knew they would be here, but I didn't expect it to feel like this," Draco admitted.

"Like what?" Hermione questioned.

"Like I really have been abandoned," Draco replied with a sigh. "I know it's been months since I've seen them, but I thought there might still be some hope. I've been fooling myself that in time they would come round."

"Maybe they will," Hermione offered. "Your mother kept looking at you."

"I know, and Father got in a few crafty looks as well," Draco replied. "But neither of them spoke. And back there during the ceremony when I caught mother's eye, I could see the regret in them."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Hermione asked. "It means she's not happy with what's happening."

"The regret wasn't just for how things are now, it was for how things will always be," Draco said sadly. "I saw it when we locked eyes. She doesn't believe we'll ever speak again. It was almost as if she was silently saying goodbye to me."

"Oh, Draco." Wrapping her arms around her boyfriend, Hermione held onto Draco as he came to terms with the last bit of hope he had for a reconciliation with his parents disappearing.

Even though his hopes had been slim, and not even acknowledged out loud by himself, Draco now knew for certain that all hope was dead. He was well and truly on his own. Or rather, he was without his parents. He would never be alone as long as he had Hermione, and Draco already knew that he would do everything in his power to keep hold of her. Hermione was his future, and she was now the only family he had.

* * *

**A/N – This is the end of part one, and on Thursday part two will start. I hope you are all enjoying this story, and will continue to enjoy part two. As always, thanks for reading and reviewing, and I hope everyone is staying safe at the moment.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Part Two.**

**Eight years later.**

The warm sun shone down on Diagon Alley as Lucius strode out of Gringotts and several people jumped out of his way as he exited the bank. Lucius was a man to be feared, and not many people wanted to get on the wrong side of the tall, blond wizard. Rumour had it that when he was younger he was once a practitioner of the Dark Arts, and no-one was prepared to risk his wrath and find out just how deadly he could truly be.

Luckily for the shoppers in Diagon Alley, Lucius was in a good mood. That was until he passed the elegant wine bar 'Red Diamond', and thoughts of his son sprung into his mind. Pausing momentarily, Lucius glanced inside the window of the wine bar which was part owned by Draco, and was the second business in his ever expanding empire. These days as well as the wine bar and their first venture, the nightclub 'Black Diamond', Draco and his partner Blaise owned several more businesses. There was the high end casino - 'Green Diamond', the Italian restaurant - 'Blue Diamond', the luxury spa – 'Purple Diamond', and their soon to open country hotel – 'Gold Diamond'.

With his son's sixth business about to open, even Lucius had to admit that he'd been wrong to doubt Draco's business acumen. He'd been convinced his son had made a mistake getting into a business partnership with his best friend, and he'd certainly been unconvinced over the type of business they'd been setting up. But here they were all these years later and every single business they'd set up had been a success.

If only he could tell Draco how proud he was of him. But he couldn't, because eight years ago he'd disinherited his son and neither him or Narcissa had spoken to Draco since. Although Draco's business decisions had only been part of the reason Lucius had cut off his only son, the main reason was his unwillingness to settle down with the right sort of witch and carry on the family line. Of course Draco had of course since married and started a family, but with the wrong sort of witch. Draco was married to a muggleborn, and that was something Lucius didn't ever think he would be able to accept.

Shaking his head to dispel thoughts of his errant son, Lucius purposefully turned away from 'Red Diamond' and carried on down the street to the bookshop, Flourish and Blotts, where he was due to meet his wife. Lucius had left Narcissa to pop into the bookshop while he headed off to the bank and his wife had assured him she wouldn't be long and would be waiting for him when he returned. Yet there was no sign of her outside the shop, or looking in any nearby windows.

With an annoyed snort, as he now wanted to get home since thoughts of Draco had ruined his good mood, Lucius pushed open the door to the shop and entered the bookshop. Over the years the place had changed considerably, and it was twice the size it used to be. Lucius knew Narcissa had been wanting a copy of the latest wizarding romance novel, so he quickly located the romance section and headed off to scold his wife for dilly dallying. No doubt she'd ran into one of her friends and gotten talking, totally forgetting she was due to meet him outside so they could go for some lunch. Although Lucius was now thinking that lunch would be at home following his new-found desire to leave Diagon Alley.

As it turned out, Lucius didn't find Narcissa in the romance section. Nor did he find her in any other nearby parts of the bookshop. Tutting to himself, Lucius set off in search of his missing wife. Just as he was about to give up and decide she must have left the shop to go elsewhere, Lucius caught a glimpse of his wife in a nearby aisle. Looking up at the sign, Lucius spotted she was loitering in the children's section and he strode forward to ask her what she was playing at. Lucius's curiosity got aroused even more when he spotted Narcissa had made a small gap between two books and was staring intently at something in the next aisle.

"What are you playing at woman?" Lucius hissed, coming up behind his wife.

"Ssh," Narcissa hushed her husband.

"Narcissa, what are you doing?" Lucius demanded.

"Be quiet, and have a look," Narcissa replied, pulling her husband closer to the bookshelf she was peering through.

Narcissa cleared another space for Lucius to look through and practically shoved his head towards the shelf. Lucius was about to protest and drag Narcissa from the shop, when his eyes fell on what, or more precisely who, Narcissa was watching. Sitting crossed legged on the floor in the next aisle was a small boy about four years old. The little boy's head was buried in a book, but Lucius would recognise his platinum blond locks and pale skin anywhere. The boy was a Malfoy, in fact he was the spitting image of Draco when he was that age.

"Right, it's time to go," Lucius announced, tearing his eyes away from the small boy.

"That's it," Narcissa hissed as she turned to glare at her husband. "That boy is our grandson, and all you can say is it's time to go."

"What do you want me to do, go and speak to him?" Lucius questioned. "I'm sure Draco would love that. He made his position perfectly clear years ago, as did we."

"But things have changed," Narcissa sighed, turning back to look at the little boy who looked so much like her only son.

"Nothing has changed Narcissa," Lucius snapped in a low voice.

"Draco has a son," Narcissa argued.

"Draco has had a son for nearly five years," Lucius pointed out.

They may have disowned Draco, but both he and Narcissa knew everything there was to know about Draco. They'd known when he'd gotten engaged, they'd known when he'd gotten married, they'd known when his wife announced her pregnancy, and they'd known when she'd given birth to a baby boy. Thanks to the family tree at home they even knew the boys name was Scorpius, following in the Black family tradition.

"But now we've seen him," Narcissa argued. "And even you can't deny he's pure Malfoy."

"Malfoy he may be, but pure he is not," Lucius snorted, even as he was unable to resist looking at his grandson again. "Some things haven't changed Narcissa, and a Malfoy having a suitable wife is one of them."

Before Narcissa had a chance to respond footsteps could be heard on the opposite side of the shelf and a brunette witch, whom both Malfoys reconsigned as Hermione, appeared at the end of the aisle where Scorpius was sitting. When he looked up both Narcissa and Lucius noticed that he had a pair of golden brown eyes, not the usual grey ones a Malfoy had. Checking out Hermione, whom she'd never really seen that close up, Narcissa saw her eyes were exactly the same warm shade of brown.

"Come on Scorpius, it's time to go," Hermione said offering her son her hand to take hold of.

"Can I have this book, Mummy?" Scorpius asked as he scrambled to his feet.

"What's it about?" Hermione asked asked.

"Dragons," Scorpius grinned, revealing a missing front tooth. "I want to show Daddy."

"Come on then," she chuckled. "You can get your book, but then we're going home."

Scorpius smiled happily at his mother as he took hold of her hand and the pair disappeared off to pay. The second Scorpius and Hermione vanished from view, Lucius took hold of Narcissa and bustled her out of the shop.

"What are you doing?" Narcissa asked, wrenching her arm from Lucius's grasp as they exited the shop.

"Making sure you don't approach them," Lucius replied. "We're going home, Narcissa."

"I wasn't going to approach them, I know that isn't the right way to go about things," Narcissa retorted sharply.

"What do you mean the right way to go about things?" Lucius asked suspiciously. "You better not be thinking what I think you are, Narcissa," he warned in a low voice.

"You know I've never stopped thinking about it," Narcissa retorted. "And don't say you haven't thought about it either. I think we need to get in touch with Draco and make amends."

"That won't be happening," Lucius stated with a shake of his head.

"Why not?" Narcissa demanded. "That was our grandson in there, and don't say you weren't affected by seeing him, because I know you were."

"I will not have this discussion in the street," Lucius hissed as he noticed a few people giving them odd glances. "We can talk at home."

Not wanting to cause a scene in public, Narcissa nodded and let Lucius take hold of her arm again. The couple walked the few meters to one of the designated apparition spots, and Lucius whisked them off home. The last thing Narcissa saw before Diagon Alley disappeared was little Scorpius coming out of the bookshop with his mother.

"Now do I get an explanation?" Narcissa asked as the couple arrived in the front hall of Malfoy Manor.

Instead of answering his wife, Lucius strode into the front room and poured himself a generous glass of fire-whisky. Not going to be brushed off so easily, Narcissa followed her husband and stood herself directly in front of him.

"We are not leaving this room until you give me an explanation," she told Lucius. "I know we haven't seen Draco for a long time, but it's been eight years Lucius. It time to leave the past behind and move on."

"We can't move on. Not when he's gone against everything the Malfoys have ever stood for," Lucius replied, walking over to the window and staring out at the vast lawns of the Manor. "I can't condone a mudblood in the family, Narcissa."

"So what, we just never see our son again?" Narcissa snapped. "We never get to know our grandson?"

"That was always going to be the case, Narcissa," Lucius said frostily. "He was with her within weeks of us disinheriting him. We've known from the beginning that there was no way back."

"There could be if you weren't so stubborn," Narcissa whispered pleadingly. "I know you wish things were different, Lucius. I know you regret what happened with Draco. I know you're proud of his business, and I know you spend time staring at the family tree, wishing you knew your grandson."

"I do," Lucius admitted with a sigh. "But now it's too late. The Malfoy line is dead."

"It's not dead, it's just tainted. There's a difference," Narcissa argued. "I know he may not be a pure blood, but we have a grandson. A gorgeous little grandson, and I want to get to know him. I also want to see my son again, I miss him."

"So do I," Lucius confessed in a whisper, before he shook his head resolutely and his voice took on a steely tone. "But we will never see him again. I'm sorry Narcissa, but whether there's a grandson involved or not, I will not accept a mudblood as part of this family."

Turning around, Lucius slammed down his glass and stalked out of the room. Narcissa debated following Lucius to try and continue to try and get him to see sense, but she knew it was unwise to push him when he got in a mood. It would be better to let him stew, and dwell on what she had said. She could continue to work on her husband as she knew that deep down, and maybe not quite as deep as she'd once thought, her husband wanted to reconnect with their son. She just needed time to dig at the chink in his armour and get her stubborn husband to admit that he was wrong, and it was time to put the past behind them and make a fresh start with Draco, his wife and their grandson.

Knowing that a breakthrough wasn't going to come anytime soon, Narcissa headed off to the room where the family tapestry was kept. She hadn't visited the room for a few weeks, but it was where she went to feel close to her son. Sometimes she went to his old wing of the manor and sat in what used to be his bedroom, but he'd left home long before the estrangement, so that didn't quite have the same effect. However, sitting with the tapestry it almost felt as though she was still part of her son's life.

When she arrived in the room, Narcissa lit the lamps on the walls and the place burst into light. Making her way over to the familiar spot where her son's name was woven, she settled down in a nearby chair and studied the tapestry. The tapestry consisted of a picture of each family member, above an elegant scroll where their name was written, and it was updated by magic, the pictures ageing to match the individual. Finding Draco's picture and name, she lovingly ran her fingers over his face. She then trailed her fingers down to the cheeky face of her grandson, who was even more adorable in real life than he was on the picture. But then her fingers stilled as she spotted an empty scroll next to Scorpius's name. The presence of another scroll meant that another child was expected, meaning she was going to become a grandmother for a second time.

The revelation shook Narcissa to the core and it made her more determined than ever that it was time to stand up to Lucius and put the Malfoy family back together. She knew it was what Lucius wanted as well, she just had to get him to admit it. But one thing she knew for sure was that she was going to be a part of her son and grandson's life before her next grandchild came along.


	15. Chapter 15

"Daddy!"

Draco was almost knocked off his feet as he stepped out of his floo network and was pounced upon by his four year old son. Scorpius wrapped his little arms around Draco's legs as he hugged his father. Dropping his briefcase onto the floor, Draco reached down and swung his son up into his arms.

"Hey, Scorp. What you've got there?" he asked, gesturing to the book clutched in his son's hand.

"A new book," Scorpius said, waving the book in front of Draco's face. "It's about dragons."

"A new book, fancy that," Draco said, raising an eyebrow at Hermione as his wife entered the floo room. "Doesn't he have enough books?"

"You can never have too many books," Hermione replied, walking over to her husband and giving him a peck on the cheek before ruffling Scorpius's hair.

"You spoil him," Draco chuckled.

Hermione smiled in response, knowing that when it came to books, Scorpius was pretty spoilt. He only had to ask for a new book and Hermione couldn't say no. It was easy to say no to too many sweets and other things that should be had in moderation, but when it came to books Hermione didn't see any problem with letting Scorpius build up a collection. In her opinion it was great that he loved books and reading.

"Daddy, will you play with me?" Scorpius asked.

"Sure," Draco told his son as he put him back down on the floor. "I'll just go and get changed, you go and get your toys out in the front room."

"Don't get anything else out, Scorpius," Hermione warned her son as he began to run off to the front room. "You've got enough out already."

"Let's guess, the room is a mess with his various toys," Draco laughed. Scorpius had a habit of getting something out to play with, before getting bored and moving on to the next thing without tidying his other toys away.

"It is," Hermione nodded. "Do me a favour and try and get some of the mess cleaned up. He doesn't need dozens of toys strewn around the room."

After promising Hermione he would try and tidy up a bit, Draco headed off to change while his wife went into the kitchen to make dinner. A quick change of clothes later and Draco was heading back downstairs. When he reached the doorway of the front room he paused and took in the mess the room was in. Scorpius was sitting on a cushion in front of the coffee table with his Lego spread over the table. The floor was dotted with dozens of books, in one corner his mini Quidditch pitch was set up and the figures were flying around playing a match, and in another corner dozens of toy animals were lined up.

"Don't," Scorpius cried as he looked up just as Draco was about to enter the room.

"What's wrong?" Draco asked his son.

"Sharks," Scorpius responded with a serious expression. "Use the stepping stones."

Draco nodded, knowing what game his son was playing. Carefully he stepped onto the nearest book and using the books on the floor as stepping stones, he made his way over to his son. Scorpius was watching him the entire time, and gave Draco a satisfied nod when he reached the safety of the coffee table.

"Can I play?" Draco asked.

"Grab a cushion," Scorpius ordered.

Draco grabbed a cushion from the nearby sofa and placed it on the floor on the other side of the table to where Scorpius was sitting. Settling down on the floor, he watched as Scorpius returned his attention to his Lego. The four year old was studiously studying the bricks and carefully building them up.

"What are you building?" Draco questioned.

"Hogwash," Scorpius replied.

"Hogwarts," Draco corrected, even though he knew full well that Scorpius could say Hogwarts and he was just being a little imp by calling it Hogwash. "Do you want any help?"

"I need a door," Scorpius said. "You build a door."

"Yes boss," Draco chuckled as he set about building a door. He didn't have any idea what size door to build, so he just threw a few green blocks together.

"Not green," Scorpius tutted, looking up at what his father was doing. "I don't like green."

"Since when?" Draco asked. "All Slytherins like green, and you are a mini Slytherin."

"I'm not a slither, I'm a Scorp," Scorpius giggled. "Silly Daddy."

"So what colour door do you want then?" Draco asked his son with an amused smile.

Scorpius pouted thoughtfully as he tilted his head to one side. "Red."

"I should have known," Draco muttered, searching for the red blocks. "This will be your mother's influence. Her and her Gryffindor connection."

"There's nothing wrong with my Gryffindor connection," Hermione's voice called from the doorway. "And I thought I asked you to help tidy up, not get more stuff out."

"We haven't gotten anything else out," Draco protested. He was going to get round to tidying up, but first he wanted to spend some time with Scorpius.

"The Lego was not out earlier," Hermione replied.

"But we're building Hogwarts," Draco told his wife.

"Yeah, look Mummy, it's you," Scorpius cried, holding up one of his small figurines that he had fished out from his toy box. "And here's Daddy," he added, holding up a second figure.

"Lovely," Hermione replied, smiling at her son, before turning her attention back to her husband. "Dinner will be ready in half an hour, make sure the place is a little bit tidier before then."

Draco nodded in response, before turning back and finishing his door. Once he'd given Scorpius the door, Draco got up and started tidying up a bit. Scorpius was adamant it still wasn't safe for the books to be removed, but he did agree that Draco could put his animals and quidditch figures away. Once Draco had at least tidied up some of the toys, he returned to the coffee table where Scorpius was putting the finishing touches to his version of Hogwarts.

"That's brilliant," Draco told his son when Scorpius asked for his opinion.

In reality all Scorpius had done was build a large square, with a door and a higher section of one wall which he claimed was a tower. Inside the square he'd placed the figures that were supposed to be Draco and Hermione.

"Look Mummy, Hogwash," Scorpius cried as Hermione entered the room, making sure she used the books as stepping stones.

"Hogwarts," Hermione corrected her son. Like Draco she knew he could say Hogwarts, but just liked calling the school Hogwash. "It's great, Scorp. But now it's time for dinner, come and wash your hands then we can eat."

Taking great care not to step on the floor, Scorpius scrambled to his feet. Very carefully he made his way over the floor via the books, all the time making sure his parents also stayed on the books and didn't venture onto the floor in case they were eaten by sharks. Once he reached the doorway, Scorpius took a big leap into the hallway before he set off running towards the kitchen. Draco quickly caught up to his son and helped him wash his hands before they took their seats at the kitchen table for dinner.

Over dinner Hermione and Draco chatted about their respective days, while Scorpius added his opinion every now and again. Once dinner was ate, Hermione let Scorpius have a treat and she made him a small bowl of ice-cream. By the time he'd finished eating, Scorpius was a bit of a mess so Hermione took him off to have a bath while Draco washed the dishes.

After an adventurous bath, where Hermione and the bathroom floor had ended up soaked thanks to the four year old, Hermione and Scorpius returned downstairs. Apart from Scorpius's Lego Hogwarts, all the other toys had been put away and Hermione shot Draco a grateful look as she settled on the sofa beside her husband. Scorpius was already settled in his pyjamas and he happily climbed up onto the sofa and nestled in between Draco and Hermione.

"Where's my new book?" he asked Draco.

"Right here," Draco answered, picking the book up from the coffee table. "I thought we could read it for a bit before you went to bed."

Scorpius nodded enthusiastically and snuggled closer to Draco as his father began reading his new book to him. After half an hours worth of reading, Draco announced it was time for Scorpius to go to bed. Scorpius briefly argued about going to bed, but Draco wouldn't be swayed and he ushered his son off to bed once he'd given Hermione a goodnight kiss.

While Draco was putting Scorpius to bed, Hermione went into the kitchen and opened a bottle of wine. Pouring two glasses she returned to the front room and settled down to wait for her husband. Considering he'd been reading to Scorpius before he went to bed, Hermione had expected that it would be a quick trip to tuck their son in, but Draco was gone nearly twenty minutes.

"What took you so long?" Hermione asked as her husband settled down beside her. "Surely he didn't con you into a bedtime story."

"We did have a bedtime story, but he was the one reading to me," Draco answered with a smile. Lately Scorpius had been eager to show off his developing reading skills and he would often read a bedtime story to his parents, rather than them reading one to him. "That boy definitely takes after you. He's turning into a bookworm."

"There are worse things he could be doing," Hermione replied with a shrug.

"True," Draco agreed with a nod. "He really is great, isn't he?"

"Of course he is, he's our son," Hermione returned with a chuckle.

However, her humour didn't last long as she knew that now she was alone with Draco it was time to mention what had happened that day. Scorpius had been oblivious to their audience in Flourish and Blotts, but Hermione's hadn't, and she knew she needed to discuss it with Draco. She only hoped her husband wasn't going to get too upset as even after eight years his parents were a touchy subject.

After Wilhelmina's naming ceremony, Hermione had witnessed the hope of a reconciliation with his parents die in Draco. He declined to inform them when he proposed after a little more than a year's dating, and he downright refused to send them an invitation to their wedding. Nor had she been able to persuade him to make the first move when she was pregnant, or after Scorpius was born. Now it had been well over three years since Hermione had even mentioned his parents, let alone suggest that he try and build fences.

"Something happened today I think you should know about," Hermione said carefully, not wanting to anger Draco, but wanting him to get the whole picture and see that maybe hope wasn't as dead as he'd thought. "While Scorp and I were in the bookshop, you mother came in."

"Did she see Scorpius?" Draco asked sharply.

"Yes, but she didn't speak," Hermione replied. "Scorpius was sitting looking at his book and your mother spotted him. She ended up watching him through the shelves."

"What did you do?" Draco asked his wife.

"I waited to see if she was going to approach him," Hermione said. "But it quickly became clear that she was just watching him. Then your father turned up."

"Please say you didn't let my father anywhere near Scorp," Draco snarled at the mere mention of his father. It had been Lucius who had initiated the disinheritance, and even though Narcissa's abandonment hurt him more, his father bore the brunt of his fury.

"He just watched alongside Narcissa. I would have been there in a crack if either one of them had made an approach to Scorpius," Hermione reassured her husband. "They both looked really dazzled by him," she added softly.

"This won't change anything Hermione," Draco said quietly. "With the family tree tapestry they would have known the second he was born. Hell, your pregnancy was even reported in the papers. They're not bothered about him, just like they're not bothered about me."

"You didn't see them, Draco," Hermione said gently. "They both looked at him with so much love, and such longing. I think seeing Scorpius with their own eyes might change things."

"I won't be holding my breath," Draco sighed sadly. "If they wanted to get in touch they would have done so years ago. They could have backed down at any time, especially once they saw we were serious."

"Maybe you should get in touch with them," Hermione suggested, not for the first time over the last eight years. Even though the estrangement had happened before she got together with Draco she still felt partly responsible as she knew her presence in Draco's life might well have stopped Lucius from swallowing his pride and making amends with his son.

"Why should I make the first move?" Draco demanded. "I'm not the one in the wrong, they are. They tried to dictate my life for me, then they abandoned me when I made it clear I was going to live my life as I saw fit. I'm not caving, Hermione. I'm not going crawling to them."

"Maybe they'll make the first move," Hermione replied hopefully. "I know you don't think they will, but you didn't see them today. Maybe the fact they had to spy on their own grandson will give them a wake-up call and make them realise their mistakes."

"I wouldn't count on it," Draco snorted. "My parents aren't like normal people, they hate to admit they're ever wrong. And I very much doubt Father thinks he was wrong. He cut me off for being in business with Blaise and not doing as he wanted and marrying a horrid pure-blood princess. Why would he now accept me when my business partnership with Blaise is going great guns, and my wife is a muggleborn? If anything, he's got more reason now to hate me."

"I doubt he ever hated you," Hermione said. She knew from Draco's friends that Lucius did love his son, even Blaise who had very few nice words to say for the senior Malfoy, admitted that Lucius loved his son and disinheriting him was never about him hating Draco.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Draco snorted.

"I'm sorry," Hermione whispered, wishing there was something she could do to make things easier for Draco. If only her husband wasn't so stubborn, and was willing to at least see if his parents would consider talking. Surely after eight years some sort of truce could be forged, and a fresh start could be made.

"Don't be sorry. I love you, and I wouldn't swap you and Scorp for anything," Draco told Hermione, pulling her towards him and connecting their lips. "Let's forget about my parents, and head to bed, I fancy an early night."

Hermione grinned at her husband as he stood up and pulled her to her feet. After checking the doors were locked and wards were set the couple headed off to bed. Within minutes Draco's parents were forgotten as the couple shed their clothes and fell onto their king sized bed together. However, Hermione wasn't about to let the subject drop and if there was a way to reconcile Draco with his parents she was going to find it. For eight years she'd kept out of things, but now it was time to try and put things right and reunite the Malfoys.


	16. Chapter 16

After over thirty years of married life, Narcissa knew exactly how to handle her husband. As eager as she was to just sit Lucius down and talk some sense into him, she knew that wouldn't work. There was no point trying to talk to Lucius until he was ready to at least listen to what she had to say. Narcissa just had to hope that it didn't take too long before her husband softened his stance and was prepared to listen to reason.

Fortunately, for Narcissa it was just over a week after they'd seen Scorpius in Diagon Alley, when she got her opportunity to speak to Lucius. Narcissa found her husband sitting in the room where the family tapestry was located, and noticing the wistful look on his face as he gazed at the portion of the tapestry that encompassed their son's family, she decided to take advantage of the situation.

"What do you think?" she asked softly, settling down on the arm of the chair Lucius was sitting in. "Will the new addition be a boy or a girl?"

"I don't know," Lucius answered quietly. "It's been a long time since a Malfoy had more than one child. We haven't had a witch born into the family in generations."

"A little girl in the family would be nice," Narcissa said with a wistful smile.

"It's not our family though, Narcissa," Lucius said, his voice regaining some of the sternness that it usually exhibited whenever Draco was mentioned. "Not any more."

"They could be," Narcissa said gently. "It's not too late, Lucius."

"We've been through this before, Cissa," Lucius remarked sternly as he abruptly got to his feet. "Draco made his choice, as did we. We're no longer family."

"Yet here you are, gazing at the tapestry," Narcissa retorted. "I know you wish things were different, Lucius. You want Draco in our lives as much as I do."

"What I want, doesn't matter," Lucius snapped. "I did the right thing for the family, and there's no going back."

"Years ago my parents did what they thought was right for the family, and you know what Lucius, they lived to regret it," Narcissa said, settling down in the chair her husband had vacated.

"It's not the same thing, Narcissa," Lucius tutted. Even though it had happened before he was with Narcissa, Lucius was well aware his wife was talking about the expulsion of her sister, Andromeda, from the Black family.

"From where I'm sitting, it's very similar," Narcissa remarked. "My parents disowned Andromeda for falling in love with a muggleborn, and you're refusing to make amends with Draco because he's also with a muggleborn."

"There's more to it than that, Narcissa," Lucius muttered.

"Even so, I can see the similarities, and I don't want us to end up the same way," Narcissa said. "My mother died never having made her peace with her daughter. Her last wish was to make things right with Andromeda, but she never got a chance. I don't want to end my days without making things right with Draco and meeting our grandchildren. And I know you don't want that to happen either."

"I don't want you be hurt, Narcissa," Lucius said softly, turning to his wife and taking hold of her hand. "I know it broke your heart when your sister was removed from the family, and I know that you've never been able to mend that broken bond. And it kills me that the situation with Draco is breaking your heart again, but I can't back down, Cissa. I wish I could, but I can't."

"You can," Narcissa pleaded, clutching Lucius's hand. "Be the bigger man, Lucius. Admit that you're wrong, and we can try and fix things with Draco. Please do this before it's too late and we've lost him for good."

"I already think it's too late," Lucius admitted in a whisper. "In his shoes, I wouldn't forgive us."

"And what if he's better than the pair of us?" Narcissa questioned. "What if he's mature enough to accept our apology? Don't we at least owe it to ourselves to try? At least if he rejects us, we'll have our answer. But I promise you Lucius, if we don't try, we'll live to regret it."

"And you'll live to resent me?" Lucius checked.

Even though Narcissa hadn't said as much, he could tell that if things carried on in the same vein, his wife would end up blaming him for the loss of their son. After all, he was well aware that even though she'd loved her parents, she'd never truly forgiven them for driving her sister out of the family.

"I don't resent you, Lucius," Narcissa said. "But I don't want to come to resent you," she added quietly. "Even if you can't bring yourself to try and make amends with Draco, could you at least bring yourself to allow me to try and do so?"

"We need to stand together, Narcissa," Lucius said sternly.

"Please," Narcissa whispered, running her thumb down her husband's cheek.

"Damn you, Narcissa," Lucius muttered as his eyes briefly closed. "How can I deny you, when you're so sad?"

"Is that a yes?" Narcissa asked, trying not to sound too smug.

"Do as you must, Narcissa," Lucius conceded with a sigh. "But don't get your hopes up. I can't see Draco forgiving us."

"And if he does?" Narcissa pressed. "Would you agree to see him?"

"Let's just see what happens," Lucius said, briefly pressing a kiss to his wife's forehead as he turned away from her. "But I'm not sure this will change anything. It certainly doesn't change the fact his wife isn't Malfoy material."

Since she didn't know Draco's wife, Narcissa didn't think about contradicting her husband. In truth, she knew that no matter what Hermione was like, her blood status was still a problem that wouldn't be easily overcome. But that was a problem for another day, for now she was just thrilled that her husband had backed down enough to give his blessing to her trying to make amends with Draco. Although she was well aware that the only reason Lucius was allowing her to make contact with Draco was because he felt their son would spurn her attempts to make amends and it would prove to her once and for all that Draco was lost to them.

"Thank you Lucius," Narcissa said softly.

"Just don't get your hopes up, Narcissa," Lucius warned, before he stalked out of the room.

"It's too late for that," Narcissa whispered, as a smile graced her lips. Of course Lucius could be proved right, and Draco might not want to know her, but at least she could try and fix things with her son, and what's more she could do so without having to go behind her husband's back.

**{}{}{}{}{}**

A couple of days after her conversation with Lucius, Narcissa dressed in one of her best outfits, with plans to go and visit her son. She'd debated going to see Draco at his place of work, but with so many businesses under his belt, she wasn't sure where to actually find him. Besides, she was also slightly worried that her son would downright refuse to see her if she just turned up at one of his businesses. So instead she was going to try paying him a visit at home. It hadn't been hard for Narcissa to find out where her son lived, and she'd discovered he lived in a picturesque wizarding village just outside of London which was popular with the younger generation of Wizarding Britain.

"You're doing it, are you?" Lucius remarked when he spotted his wife all dressed up.

"It's not too late for you to come with me," Narcissa urged her husband. "It might be better if we visit Draco together."

"I've agreed to you going to see him, but that's as far as it goes, Narcissa," Lucius returned. "Even if by some miracle he does forgive you, it doesn't change the issues we've still got. I'm still not sure I can forgive him, Narcissa. Don't forget, this works both ways. He might see himself as the victim, but he wasn't blameless. Don't forget, his stubbornness started all this, Cissa."

"I think all three of us were to blame," Narcissa countered. "We all let this get out of hand. And now we are going to fix it, and I do include you in that, Lucius. I know you think this will fail, but I won't let it. I will make amends with Draco, and when the time comes, I expect you to do the same."

"We'll see," Lucius said with a scowl. Deep down he knew Narcissa was doing the right thing by trying to fix things with Draco, but he couldn't help but have his doubts. After all, if Narcissa was proved right and Draco allowed her back into his life, he would either have to do something he rarely did, and back down, or remain estranged from his only son.

Giving Lucius a quick kiss, and yet again vowing that one day soon he would have to swallow his pride and speak to Draco, Narcissa left the manor and headed to the village where Draco lived with his wife and son. It didn't take her long to find the house her son lived in, however approaching and knocking on the door didn't come as easily. Now she was here, Narcissa couldn't help but wonder if she was doing the right thing. Maybe Lucius was right to think that her idea of reuniting with their son was a lost cause. Draco might well refuse to talk to her, and to be honest she wouldn't blame him if that was the option he took. She'd let him down badly, and her son had every right to be angry with her.

After debating with herself for several minutes, Narcissa finally made the trek up the garden path to the front door. Taking a deep breath she rang the doorbell and stood back to wait and see what would happen. A few seconds after ringing the doorbell, the door opened and for the first time in eight years Narcissa found herself face to face with her son.

"Draco," Narcissa whispered, unable to tear her eyes from her son. Although she noted that he didn't look overly happy to see her.

"Mother," Draco greeted stoically. "What are you doing here?"

"I want to talk," Narcissa said softly. "I understand if you don't want anything to do with me, but please just give me a chance."

Draco looked as though he was fighting an inner battle with himself, before he nodded once and held the door open for his mother to enter the house. Narcissa stepped into the large front hallway, but hardly had time to look at her son's house before Draco opened a nearby door and gestured for her to step inside.

"Wait here, I'll be right back," he said, before shutting the door behind his mother.

Narcissa was left standing in a room which she decided was for floo visitors. It was nice and welcoming enough, but she knew instantly that it wasn't the main living room on the house. Narcissa was alone for nearly ten minutes, and when she heard the front door open and shut she feared her son had walked out on her. However her fears were soon dismissed when the door opened and Draco was once again standing in front of her.

"I thought you'd left," Narcissa admitted.

"That was Hermione and Scorpius," Draco replied. "I asked Hermione to take Scorpius out for a few hours so we could talk."

"You didn't have to do that," Narcissa said quietly, her face falling at the realisation that she wasn't seeing her grandson that day. Although to be fair, she hadn't really been expecting it as she knew she would have to build bridges with her son before he would trust her around her grandson.

"I did," Draco replied. "I'm not having Scorpius meeting you at the moment. Before I even consider letting you see Scorp, we need to talk."

Narcissa's mood brightened somewhat as it became apparent that not only was Draco giving her the chance to make things right, but he wasn't totally opposed to letting her see Scorpius sometime in the future. Hopefully if their discussion went well, then a meeting with her grandson could be on the cards sooner than she could have hoped.


	17. Chapter 17

When Draco answered the front door to find his mother standing on the other side, he wasn't totally shocked. Ever since Hermione had mentioned his parents spotting Scorpius in Diagon Alley, he'd been wondering if either of them would get in touch. Although he hadn't been able to decide if he'd wanted them to get in touch, or if things would be much simpler if they just stayed away and they all carried on living separate lives. Even seeing Narcissa didn't help Draco decide what he really wanted, but at his mother's pleadings he decided to give her a chance to explain herself.

Even though he wasn't sure his mother could ever say or do anything to mend their broken relationship, Draco ushered her into the house and settled her in the floo room. While he may have been willing to speak to his mother, he didn't want her near Scorpius. The last thing he wanted was for Scorpius to get attached to Narcissa, only to have her walk out on him and break his little heart.

"Who was it?" Hermione asked as Draco returned to the kitchen, where the family had been finishing up a late breakfast when the doorbell had rang.

"Mother," Draco replied. "I've agreed to talk to her."

"That's great, Draco," Hermione said with a smile. She'd been wondering how to go about trying to fix things between her husband and his parents, so it was great that Narcissa had made the first move. "Where is she?" she asked, wondering if the mother-in-law she'd never met was hovering outside of the kitchen, just waiting to be introduced to the members of the family she didn't know.

"I left her in the floo room," Draco replied

"Why have you left her in there?" Hermione questioned with a frown.

"I want you to take Scorpius out for a few hours," Draco told his wife. Even though it hadn't answered her question directly, he knew that Hermione would be able to read the subtext and would understand that he didn't want his mother to meet Scorpius.

"No," Scorpius cried, his ears picking up at the mention of his name. "I want to fly. You said we could fly."

"We can fly when you come back," Draco told his son, ruffling his short blond hair.

"Daddy has some things to do, let's give him some peace and quiet," Hermione said to a pouting Scorpius. "We can go and buy you a new book for tonight's bedtime story."

"One with dragons?" Scorpius asked. "I want to read about a dragon who can't fly."

"Now it sounds like you're writing your own story," Hermione chuckled.

"Can I write my own story?" Scorpius questioned, his eyes lighting up in excitement at the thought of creating his own story. "It can be about a little green dragon who can't fly."

"You can tell me all about your idea on the way to the shops," Hermione told her son as she helped him down off his chair.

"Thank you." Draco gave Hermione a kiss as his wife passed him in the doorway.

"Just make sure you give her a chance, Draco," Hermione warned her husband. "I know she hurt you, but don't be too quick to send her away. Make sure whatever you decide, you can live with. This might be a chance you never get again."

Draco mulled over his wife's advice as he watched her and Scorpius get ready and depart the house. Once his wife and son were safely out of the way, Draco returned to the floo room to speak to his mother. Narcissa was clearly disappointed when he mentioned sending Scorpius out for a few hours, but Draco noticed she perked up when he mentioned the possibility of her meeting Scorpius in the future.

"Do you want a cup of tea?" Draco asked, his manners not lacking despite his mixed feelings towards his mother.

"Yes please," Narcissa replied with a grateful nod. It amazed her that even after everything that had happened between them that Draco still had his perfect manners.

"Let's go through to the kitchen," Draco said, turning away and leading the way to the back of the house where the kitchen was located.

When they arrived in the kitchen, Draco told Narcissa to sit down as he started to tidy up the breakfast things and make a fresh pot of tea. Narcissa watched her son in amazement as he tidied up and made the tea all by himself. The Draco she knew would have called for a house elf to do the work for him. Or rather, he would have when he was still living at the manor. Even before their estrangement, he'd been changing and Narcissa knew he hadn't used the elves as much once he'd moved out.

"I'm impressed," Narcissa remarked, when Draco placed two steaming cups of tea onto the kitchen table and slid into a seat opposite her. "I didn't know you knew how to make tea."

"Without a whole hoard of elves to cater to my every whim I had to learn to fend for myself," Draco shrugged. "Besides, Hermione would never agree to us having elves. She doesn't agree with the exploitation they suffer."

"It sounds to me like she just doesn't understand the way things work in the wizarding world" Narcissa said cautiously, not wanting to sound as though she was insulting her son's wife.

"She understands perfectly, she just doesn't agree with it," Draco replied frostily. "But I don't suppose you came here to discuss my wife's opinions on house elves."

"No I didn't." Narcissa took a sip of her tea as she tried to find the best way to begin her apology. "I came here hoping to make amends."

"And would you be here if you hadn't seen Scorpius a few weeks ago?" Draco questioned.

"You know about that?"

Draco nodded as he took a drink of his own tea. "Yes. Hermione saw you and father watching Scorpius."

"He took us by surprise, I'll admit that," Narcissa said. "I was just minding my own business, when suddenly I spotted him. His similarity to you is unmistakable."

"There is a strong resemblance," Draco admitted. "But that doesn't answer my question. Would you even be here if you hadn't seen Scorpius? Are you only here because you now know you've got a grandson?"

"We've always known," Narcissa admitted in a low voice. "That was just the first time we'd seen him."

"So I should be grateful you've never stalked my son to see him before now?" Draco snorted. "Although maybe if you had, you would have been here years ago."

"I wanted to be," Narcissa whispered. "You have no idea how much I've wanted to make things right between us, Draco."

"But yet you never once tried to fix things," Draco retorted sharply. "If you'd wanted to be involved in my life then you would have been. And it's not even as if you haven't seen me since I was thrown out of the family. Or have you forgotten Mina's christening."

"Mina?" Narcissa queried, momentarily getting distracted. The only christening she could remember seeing Draco at was Wilhelmina Parkinson-Nott's.

"Theo and Pansy's daughter," Draco clarified.

"I've never heard her called Mina before," Narcissa remarked.

"You know Pansy doesn't approve of shortened names," Draco replied with a shrug. "But that has nothing to do with anything right now. You were about to explain how you can claim to want to make amends, yet you've ignored me and done nothing about it for eight years."

"It's not as simple as that, and you know it," Narcissa told her son with a regretful sigh.

"Father," Draco stated coldly.

Narcissa nodded. "I couldn't get in touch with you without betraying him. I was put in an impossible position, having to choose between the pair of you. I love you both, Draco."

"Yet you managed to choose him," Draco said bitterly. "You're the only person in the world that can stand up to father and convince him to change his mind, yet you stood by and sided with him. You let me walk away without even trying to make me stay."

"I thought you would come back," Narcissa confessed quietly. "If I knew how things were going to end up, I would have fought for you. But I believed you just needed time to accept we were only doing what was best for you."

"By belittling my life choices? By mocking my career and rubbishing my business partner?" Draco asked with a shake of the head. "And what about trying to get me to marry someone of your choosing? How was forcing me into a loveless marriage, doing the best for me? If you and father had your way, I would have been married to some pure-blood nightmare like Astoria Greengrass. I would have been trapped with someone I didn't even like, let alone love."

"The love would have come if you'd just given it time," Narcissa said. "Your father and I had the same arrangement for our marriage, and look at how that worked out. I may not have loved Lucius when I married him, but I soon fell in love with him. We've had a perfectly happy marriage."

"Then you're lucky," Draco retorted, not really in the mood to listen to his mother waxing lyrical about how happy her marriage was and how much she loved her husband. "But I wasn't going to marry someone I didn't love just to keep the precious family line pure."

"I still say things could have worked if you'd only gave them a chance," Narcissa sighed. "But we can't change the past," she added hastily when Draco opened his mouth, clearly to argue. "You seem to have a good life, and more importantly you seem happy."

"I am. I'm happy because I'm married to a woman I'm madly in love with," Draco replied passionately. "That's all I ever wanted. The chance to meet someone and fall in love. You and father were trying to deny me that. I just wish you'd been able to back me up. I can understand father not liking my decision, I can even understand you not liking my decision, but what I can't understand is the fact I got no backing from you. You were the one person I thought I could rely on, and when I needed you, you let me down."

"I'm so sorry," Narcissa said, fighting back tears as Draco confessed how let down he'd felt by her actions.

"So am I," Draco sighed. "I'm sorry that you chose father over me. I'm sorry that you never cared enough to come and find me."

"I did care. I do care," Narcissa insisted. "I know it's possibly too late, but please give me a chance to make things up to you. We can salvage some sort of relationship. I want my son back, Draco, I've missed him."

"And what about father?" Draco asked. "I'm assuming he knows nothing about your little trip today."

"Actually, he's well aware of where I am," Narcissa said.

"He knows you're here?" Draco checked, stunned by his mother's revelation. "And he approves?"

"He agreed to it because he doesn't think it will work," Narcissa confessed. "He doesn't think you will accept my apology. He thinks you're going to tell me to get lost."

"That's exactly what I should do," Draco told his mother. "I should tell you to leave and never return. I've managed this long without you, I don't need you in my life."

Narcissa brushed aside a few stray tears as she stood up, hardly able to believe her husband had been right. "I'll be going then," she whispered tearfully. "I'm sorry to have bothered you."

"Wait," Draco called, stopping his mother before she left the kitchen. "I may not need you in my life, but that doesn't mean I don't want you in it. Just because I think I should tell you to leave, doesn't mean that what's I'm doing. This could be the biggest mistake of my life, but I want to see you again. I don't know if we can fix things, but I would regret it forever if we don't at least try."

Narcissa smiled at her son and before she had a chance to think about her actions she rushed over to him and embraced him. Draco stiffened initially, but as Narcissa continued to hug him, he wrapped his arms around his mother and hugged her back.

"I've missed you so much," Narcissa whispered, reluctant to let her son go.

"I've missed you too," Draco admitted quietly.

Narcissa finally tore herself away from Draco, and the two Malfoys stood facing each other in silence for a few moments.

"Maybe we could meet up next week," Narcissa suggested. She didn't want to leave without making plans to either see Draco again or to arrange to make plans.

"That should be okay," Draco said with a thoughtful nod. "Send me an owl, and I'll let you know where and when."

"And do you think it's possible I can meet my grandson?" Narcissa questioned hesitantly, not wanting to push her luck.

"Let's see how things go between us," Draco cautioned. "I don't want Scorpius meeting you, until I'm sure you're sticking around."

"I'm sticking around," Narcissa vowed.

"And what happens when father realises his master plan has failed?" Draco asked. "It sounds as though he agreed to you visiting me in the hopes that I would reject you. I guess that way he could keep up the disinheritance without being the bad guy. After all, how could you hope for a reconciliation if I'd been the one to reject it?"

"He agreed to this, because deep down he's as eager to make things right as I am," Narcissa corrected her son. "I know he seems harsh, Draco, but he does love you. This estrangement has broken his heart as well. He might be too stubborn to admit it, but he wants the family back together."

"All of us?" Draco questioned with a disbelieving snort. "Because I don't come on my own. If he really wants to accept me back into the family, then he's going to have to accept my wife and son. My wife who is a muggleborn, and my son who is a half-blood. Neither of them are what he would call pure."

"I won't lie and tell you that it doesn't matter, but I believe that when push comes to shove, family is going to prove stronger than blood status for your father," Narcissa said. "He's just going to need time, Draco."

"He's going to have plenty of time, because I am nowhere near ready to see him again," Draco warned. "And I'm certainly not ready to let him anywhere near my son."

"I understand," Narcissa replied with a nod. "And I love your son's name by the way," she added, sensing it was time to change the subject. They had plenty of time to talk about Lucius in the future, but for now she wanted to stay focused on the progress she's made with her son. "You kept to the Black family tradition."

"We debated it for a long time," Draco admitted. "But despite everything I wanted to keep some sort of memory of where we come from."

"I'm pleased you did," Narcissa told her son as they walked to the front door.

After a brief goodbye and a promise to meet up the following week, Draco watched as his mother left the house and disappeared with a crack. Even though he was still very wary of how things would go with his mother, he couldn't deny that it had been good to see her. He still wasn't sure if he was ready to forgive her, and he was even further away from forgiving his father, but it felt right to be trying to build bridges. For the first time in over eight years he felt a spark of hope in regards to his parents, and he just hoped that the spark turned into something meaningful and he wasn't going to end up broken hearted for a second time.

Draco was still thinking about the meeting with his mother when Hermione and Scorpius returned home nearly an hour later. Hermione checked that it was safe for them to come in, before letting Scorpius run into the front room, carrying his bag of goodies.

"What have you got there?" Draco asked his son as Scorpius immediately ran over to the table and began tipping his bag full of stuff out. Instead of the storybook Draco had been expecting, the bag contained several notebooks, one large drawing book and several packs of pencils.

"I'm making a book about a dragon," Scorpius told his father.

"Scorpius is going to draw some pictures, and I'm going to help him write the story," Hermione told Draco as she sat down next to her husband. "We're then going to put it all together as a book."

"That's brilliant," Draco grinned at his son. He was immensely proud of Scorpius, not many four year olds had the brains to create their own story.

"Are you going to tell me what happened with your mother?" Hermione asked Draco.

While their son began drawing his first picture of the little dragon who couldn't fly, Draco filled Hermione in on the conversation he'd had with his mother. Hermione nodded in approval when Draco mentioned he'd arranged to see Narcissa again. She knew how much her husband missed his parents, and she genuinely hoped that this would be the start of a reconciliation between them. Even if they never had a close relationship it would just be nice for Draco to have his parents back in his life.


	18. Chapter 18

In her slightly nervous state, Narcissa changed her outfit several times before her lunch meeting with Draco. Even though they'd spoken the previous week, she knew this meeting would determine if they had a chance of making things right. This lunch date would be the key to returning to her son's life, and getting the chance to know her grandson.

When Narcissa entered the living room to say goodbye to her husband, she found Lucius sitting supposedly reading the paper. However, he'd been reading the paper when she'd first gone to get ready over an hour ago, and she couldn't believe he had found that much to keep him intrigued. More than likely his mind was elsewhere and the paper was just a prop to hide how affected he was by Narcissa heading out to meet their son.

"Are you sure you don't want to join us?" Narcissa asked her husband.

"Because that is the way for you to win Draco around," Lucius snorted as he discarded the paper he clearly wasn't reading. "If you turn up with me by your side, you can kiss goodbye to your chances of reconciliation, Narcissa."

"Maybe you're right," Narcissa conceded.

When she'd first informed Lucius of how her first meeting with Draco had gone, she half expected her husband to be disappointed that he hadn't been proven right. But rather than being disappointed, the news seemed to ignite a sense of hope within Lucius. Even though he was still acting rather blasé about the whole thing, Narcissa knew him better than that, and she could see the hope flickering in his deep grey eyes. For the first time, he'd allowed himself to consider a reconciliation with Draco, and even though he was too stubborn to have admitted it yet, it was what he desperately desired.

"But if all goes well, you will agree to a meeting, won't you?" she checked with her husband.

"We'll talk about it if it happens," Lucius replied cagily. He wasn't about to agree to a meeting that he still wasn't convinced his son would initiate.

"It will happen," Narcissa predicted confidentially. "It just might take some time. We just have to be patient."

"No, we just have to wait and see what Draco says," Lucius corrected. "Don't fool yourself, Narcissa. We have no power in this situation. I can't force Draco to see me."

"Even though it's what you want?" Narcissa questioned with a sly smile, very aware that Lucius was on the verge of breaking and admitting just how much he wanted to be reconciled with their son.

"You should go before you end up late," Lucius said as he rose to his feet without answering his wife. "Cissa," he called after her as she started to leave the room. "Tell Draco… tell him… tell him I was wrong."

"About what?" Narcissa asked gently.

"His business," Lucius replied. "Even I can see what a success he's made of himself. Tell him I was wrong to judge his choices, and even though it may not have seemed like it, I never wanted him to fail. I'm proud of him."

"I'll tell him," Narcissa promised, giving her husband a smile before she left him alone with his thoughts.

When lunch had first been mentioned, Narcissa had half expected them to meet at one of his various businesses, but when arrangements were made, Draco had requested meeting her at a cafe in Hogsmeade. It was an unusual choice, but Narcissa hadn't wanted to cause a fuss. To be honest she was so desperate to see Draco she would have agreed to meet him anywhere.

Narcissa could remember the cafe in question from her time in Hogwarts, but it had changed hands several times since then. She had a feeling that when Draco had been in school, the cafe had been an overly romantic tearoom, but these days it was a pretty bland cafe selling sandwiches and cakes.

Narcissa was the first to arrive, and after ordering herself a pot of earl grey tea, she settled at a table seated beside the window. That way she was able to see when Draco arrived. However, she didn't expect to spot her son emerging from the joke shop across the road with what was clearly a Weasley. Narcissa watched the way Draco and Weasley shared a laugh at something, before parting ways, with Draco heading in her direction and the Weasley wizard returning into the shop.

Narcissa was still pondering over the fact her son was friendly with Weasleys, which given who he was married to really shouldn't have shocked her the way it had, when Draco entered the cafe. Ordering himself a coffee, Draco settled down opposite his mother and greeted her with a friendly smile.

"I'm so pleased we're doing this," Narcissa said, reaching across the table and squeezing Draco's hand. "Even if your choice of location is unusual."

"I'm checking out the competition," Draco confided in a low voice, even though they were too far away from the counter for anyone who worked at the cafe to hear them.

"Competition?" Narcissa questioned warily.

"Our new project," Draco explained, still keeping his voice down. "When we were up here a few months ago for Ron's birthday, a few people commented on the lack of facilities in Hogsmeade. There's still the two pubs, but this is the only other place you can get something to eat or drink, unless you count Honeydukes if all you want to eat is sweets. Blaise and I were thinking we could open a cafe, possibly with an ice-cream parlour. It would do roaring trade on a Hogsmeade weekend."

"I suppose it would," Narcissa agreed. "And this place doesn't look as though it will be much competition."

"It doesn't does it?" Draco replied with a grin. "Although to be fair, it's better than it was when I was at Hogsmeade. This place used to be a sickening tearoom, all done up in pink and covered in hearts. But we still think we can offer something better."

"I'm sure you can," Narcissa agreed. "But don't you have a hotel to open first?"

"The hotel is pretty much ready to go," Draco answered. "Finishing touches are just been put into place now. It'll be open by the Autumn, so then we can look at our next project."

"And what will the cafe be called?"

"We're not sure yet," Draco replied with a shrug. "I think Silver Diamond was the next on our list, but if when we talk about it, something else seems better, we'll go with that."

"You really have made a success of your life, Draco," Narcissa said softly, the pride in her voice evident to see.

"Not bad for Blaise's sidekick, is it?" he retorted sharply, unable to help himself.

Narcissa felt a stab of guilt at her son's words as she recalled the time she'd accused him of being just that. Even at the time she'd regretted her words as she'd known they weren't true. But they'd come out in the heat of the moment and she'd been unable to take them back.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I never should have said that. I know that you've always known your own mind, and you would never let anyone tell you what to do. I never meant to hurt you, Draco."

"I'm sorry for mentioning it," Draco said with a sigh. "If this is ever going to work, we need to leave the past behind us."

"I agree," Narcissa said. "But it's going to be impossible to pretend this never happened, Draco. Your father and I have missed eight years of your life. Yes, we followed what you were up to as closely as we could, but it's not the same as being there with you. We've both missed so much, but we're both so proud of you, Draco."

"You don't need to include father in that," Draco snorted. "I know what he thinks of me, and my business."

"No, you really don't," Narcissa argued. "In fact before I left, he asked me to give you a message. He said to tell you he was wrong. He never should have doubted your business acumen, and despite what it may have seemed like, he never wanted you to fail. He is so proud of everything you have achieved."

"It's easy to say that now," Draco retorted. "But at the time all I ever got from him was negativity."

"He was wrong," Narcissa said simply. "But even when he was worried about your choices, he was still proud of you. He has a file in his safe, and it is full of all the press reports about your businesses. He's got clippings from every single one of your opening events. He may not have always shown it, but you've always made him proud. To be honest, I think he was even a bit envious of your ability to go your own way. Your father just did as his father wanted him to do, and he just expected you to do the same. So when you didn't, it frustrated him, but I also think that deep down it pleased him that you were strong enough to make your own decisions about your life."

"It would have been nice if he'd told me that at the time," Draco said quietly, not sure if he believed his mother, or if he thought she was just telling him what she thought he would want to hear.

"Surely it's never too late to admit to being wrong," Narcissa urged gently. "You're your father's son, Draco. You're just as stubborn as Lucius. He knows he was wrong, and he wants to make amends, but he's no good at backing down. You need to make the first move, Draco. But I promise you, when you do, your father will take the chance to make things right."

"And what if I'm not ready?" Draco questioned. "Even if I do believe you, and I do accept that he's ready to make amends, what if I'm not ready to forgive him? What if I can't forget what's happened?"

"No-one says it has to be today, or even anytime soon," Narcissa soothed. "Your father understands that you need time, and to be honest, so does he. You can take all the time you need, Draco. Lucius will be waiting when you're ready."

"That doesn't sound like father," Draco remarked. "He's not known for his patience."

"When it comes to getting his son back, he'll be as patient as is necessary," Narcissa replied. "As will I. I know things can never go back to how they were, and I know it's going to take time before you can trust us, again. But believe me Draco, I'm not going anywhere, and neither is your father. We want our family back."

"Including a daughter-in-law who isn't a pure-blood?" Draco questioned.

"I won't lie to you and say everything is going to be plain sailing, but your father and I both know that the only way to get you back in our lives is to accept your choices. Which to be fair, is something we should have done in the first place," Narcissa admitted. "I can't promise to be instantly perfect, and no doubt I will make mistakes, but I will try my very best. For you, I'd do anything."

Draco could hear the sincerity in his mother's words, and it gave him hope that things might work out after all. He still had severe reservations about his father, and he was still planning on being extra cautious where Scorpius was involved, but he was now open to seeing if things could be fixed between himself and his parents, or at the very least with his mother.

**{}{}{}{}{}**

"How did it go?" Blaise asked the second Draco entered the office at Gold Diamond, which was where they were currently based as they ensured that things would be ready for the scheduled opening in September.

"You mean the meeting with my mother, or the checking out of the competition?" Draco questioned.

"Both," Blaise replied.

"The checking out of the competition went as expected," Draco replied. "There is no competition. Any half decent place would do a roaring trade, so one of our businesses would clean up."

"Excellent," Blaise smirked, rubbing his hands together gleefully. "And your mother?" he asked, turning more serious

"It wasn't too bad," Draco answered. "We've agreed to meet again next week, and then I said we could talk about her meeting Hermione and Scorpius."

"That's good," Blaise said with a smile. He wasn't exactly a big fan of Draco's parents, but he knew how much his best friend had missed them, especially Narcissa, and he knew how much it would mean to Draco to have his mother back in his life.

"Mother also spoke about father," Draco offered. "According to her, he's sorry about everything he said about the business and he's proud of me. She also reckons he'd be up for putting the past behind us and making up."

"And what about you?" Blaise asked. "Would you be up for that?"

"I don't know," Draco admitted, hating that he was feeling so indecisive when normally he was pretty good at making a decision and sticking to it. "Part of me thinks that I'm just setting myself up to have my heart broken again, but another part of me, wants all this to be true. I never wanted to lose my parents in the first place, Blaise. But I don't know if I can every fully forgive them for abandoning me for eight years."

"Maybe you can't, but maybe you can build a new relationship with them," Blaise said wisely. "I'm not saying it's going to be easy, especially with your father, but what you have to ask yourself is if you can live with doing nothing and keeping things as they are."

"Now you sound like Hermione," Draco groaned. "She's all for me trying to fix things."

"Your wife is a very smart woman," Blaise remarked with a smile. "No-one can tell you what to do, Draco, but I can give you some advice as someone whose parents have never shown this much interest in me. My father buggered off before I was old enough to remember him, and my mother has always been more interested in her husbands than me. I'm lucky if I get a birthday and Christmas card from my mother, yet if she turned up tomorrow wanting to be a part of my life, I wouldn't have the heart to turn her away. But I know that's not going to happen, nor is my father ever going to get in touch and tell me he's proud of me. You've got a chance not everyone has, Draco, take advantage of it. You don't have to rush into anything, but just make sure you make the right choice and don't let the past stop you from having your family around you."

Thanking Blaise for his advice, Draco considered it for the rest of the afternoon as they got on with their work. He was still thinking about what Blaise had said when he went home, and after telling Hermione about his meeting with his mother, he confided in her that he was thinking of letting her see Scorpius sooner rather than later. Blaise was right, this was a chance he didn't want to miss, and even if it all went wrong, at least he wouldn't spend the rest of his life wondering what might have been.


	19. Chapter 19

Even though he'd made the decision to allow Narcissa to meet Scorpius after their first arranged meeting, it was still almost a month before the day arrived. In that time, Draco had been meeting his mother weekly, and while things would never be the same between them, he was hopeful that things were going in the right direction and his mother was back in his life on a permanent basis. But as for Lucius, that was still up in the air and Draco wasn't ready to even think about arranging a meeting with his father.

However on the day Narcissa was due to pay a visit to the house, Draco was beginning to develop serious second thoughts. While his mother may have been wanting to get to know Scorpius, and to mend fences between them he was worried about what would happen if things didn't work out with his father. What if a reconciliation between them was unsuccessful? If that happened, would Lucius still be alright with Narcissa being part of their lives, or would he force her to choose sides yet again? Draco knew he would be hurt if his mother abandoned him again, but he didn't think he would ever forgive her if she did the same thing to Scorpius. His son didn't deserve to meet his grandmother only to have her walk away from him.

"Here you are," Hermione announced as she entered her husband's study. "Are you okay?" she asked, noticing the faraway look in Draco's eyes.

"Not really," Draco admitted. "I'm thinking of cancelling the visit this afternoon."

"Why?" Hermione asked as she entered the room properly and sat down on the spare chair beside the fire. "I thought you decided this was what you wanted to do. I thought you wanted to make amends with your mother."

"I do," Draco replied honestly. "I just don't know if I should let her meet Scorpius. Maybe I should wait until things are sorted with father."

"Are you ready to talk to your father?" Hermione asked, even though she knew very well that her husband wasn't anywhere near ready to see his father again. She knew it had taken him a lot of effort to get as far as he had with his mother, and it was going to take even longer before he was ready to try and deal with Lucius

"No," Draco answered shortly.

"So do you really want to put off this meeting until then?" Hermione questioned.

"No," Draco admitted. "But what if father and I can't make our peace? What if there's no going back?"

"What if he forces your mother to choose again, and she chooses him," Hermione finished, suddenly understanding where her husband's reticence had come from. If things didn't work out with Lucius, he could force Narcissa to cut off all contact with Draco again, and if she'd already met Scorpius it would result in their son potentially getting hurt.

"What do I do Hermione?" Draco pleaded, silently begging Hermione to give him the answers he wanted.

"I can't tell you that, sweetheart," Hermione replied, leaning over and taking hold of Draco's hand. She didn't want her son to end up hurt, but she knew that at the end of the day, only Draco could decide what to do about his parents. "Only you can make this decision. But whatever you decide, I'll be right here to support you."

"What did I ever do to deserve a wife like you?" Draco asked with a tender smile.

Hermione smiled back at her husband. "You're just lucky, I guess."

"I am," Draco agreed. "I just wished that helped me with what to do."

"What do you want to do?" Hermione asked gently.

"I want to stick with what I've agreed and let Mother meet you and Scorpius," Draco answered without having to think about it. "I just don't know if I can. I don't know if I can risk Scorpius like that."

"Do you honestly think your mother will turn her back on you and Scorpius? You've been saying all month about how serious she is about mending fences."

"She does seem serious, but there's still father to deal with," Draco pointed out. "Like it or not, there needs to be some sort of resolution there, and if the end result is that nothing changes between us, he will likely force her to choose again. She didn't pick me the first time, Hermione, so why would she do so now?"

"And is it Scorpius you're worried about, or yourself?" Hermione asked astutely. "Are you not just pulling away because you're afraid of being hurt again?"

Draco was silent as he considered his wife's words. Of course he was worried about Scorpius getting attached to Narcissa only to have her disappear on him, but there was a part of him that was scared that he was going to be hurt by his mother all over again. It had been years since everything had blown up, but not receiving support from his mother still hurt. Even now things were improving between them he couldn't forget what had happened in the past.

"Maybe there's an element of that," Draco finally conceded. "I've tried to get over it, you know I have, but it's still there. I'll never be able to forget that the one person I depended on the most in the world wasn't there for me when I really needed her. All my life Mother had been there for me, especially when I didn't receive support from Father. But then all of a sudden, she let me go. She didn't fight for me, Hermione, she let me walk away as though I meant nothing to her."

"You know that's not true, Draco," Hermione said soothingly. "You know that whatever faults your mother may have, she loves you. She made a mistake, granted it was a major one, but I don't think she'll be making it again."

"How are you so sure?" Draco questioned his wife. "If Father makes her choose again, she'll choose him."

"If she was just going to cave into Lucius's demands, or even if she thought he was going to do the same again, she never would have sought you out," Hermione replied.

"She only did that because she actually saw Scorpius," Draco snorted. "If she hadn't seen him, she still wouldn't be bothered about me."

Hermione smiled sadly as her husband inadvertently revealed another thing that was bugging him. Not only was he worried about being hurt again, but he was concerned about the timing of his mother's change of heart. To Draco it seemed as though Narcissa had only gotten in touch because of Scorpius, and Hermione knew that it hurt her husband to think his mother wasn't truly interested in him, especially as she'd admitted to knowing about Scorpius since before he was born. Unfortunately, Hermione didn't have anything to say to make Draco's worries about Narcissa's motivations for getting in touch go away. It was clear that Scorpius had prompted her decision to get in touch, and nothing Hermione could say would change that. They would just have to hope that her desire to reconnect to Draco had also been a strong factor in her decision, and something told Hermione it was.

"So what are we doing?" Hermione asked quietly. "Are we cancelling the visit? Or should I ask Harry and Ginny to keep Scorpius a bit longer and your mother can meet him another day."

"No, go and get him at the agreed time," Draco said, making a decision. "I'll give Mother one final chance, and if she blows it then we're finished for good."

Standing up, Hermione gave her husband a deep kiss before she left his study to change and go and pick their son up from their friends house. With the decision made to give Narcissa a chance, Draco left his study and headed to the kitchen to check there were plenty of refreshments for the afternoon.

Half an hour later, Hermione had picked up Scorpius and the four year old was happily settled on the floor in the front room while his parents sat nearby talking quietly. Scorpius currently had sheets of paper and coloured pencils scattered across the coffee table as he drew a series of pictures for another book he wanted to write. In the previous month he and Hermione had finished the book about the dragon that couldn't fly and Scorpius was keen to get started on a new idea.

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked her husband as the time for Narcissa's visit arrived.

"I'll be fine," Draco answered, just as the doorbell rang.

Scorpius looked up from his drawing at the sound of the doorbell and he watched in curiosity as his father got up to answer the door. Scorpius was still watching the door to the front room a few moments later when Draco came back with a slightly nervous looking Narcissa following close behind him.

"Mother, this is my wife Hermione," Draco said, making the introductions as Hermione stood up from the sofa.

"It's nice to meet you Mrs Malfoy," Hermione said with a smile as she offered her hand to Narcissa.

"It's nice to meet you as well," Narcissa returned politely as she took Hermione's hand and gave it a quick shake.

It was fairly obvious to all three adults that Narcissa was still struggling to accept that Hermione was a muggleborn. While she may not have been as vocal in her dislike for muggleborns as her husband, she'd still being brought up to believe they were inferior to pure-bloods and having a muggleborn as a daughter-in-law was going to take some getting used to.

"This is Scorpius," Draco said, gesturing to his son who was looking at Narcissa with open curiosity.

"Hello Scorpius," Narcissa smiled warmly at her grandson.

"Hello," Scorpius said. "Who are you?"

"This is my Mother, Scorpius," Draco explained, crouching down next to his son. "She's your Grandmother."

"Like Nana Jean and Granny Molly?" Scorpius asked.

Jean was Hermione's mother while Molly Weasley had been an honorary grandparent to Scorpius since Hermione was considered part of the Weasley family. In fact Draco himself had been embraced by the family of redheads as his relationship with Hermione had turned serious. He even classed several of the Weasleys as friends, including Ron, which once upon a time would have seemed impossible.

"Yes," Draco answered his son, with a nod of his head.

"But where have you come from?" Scorpius asked Narcissa, looking at her suspiciously. "Why haven't I seen you before? I know Nana Jean and Granny Molly, but I don't know you."

"That's a long complicated story, Scorpius," Narcissa answered. "Simply put, I made a mistake and I didn't see your father for lots of years. Luckily we're talking again and I get to meet you."

"Do I have to give up Nana Jean or Granny Molly?" Scorpius asked, turning to Hermione.

"Of course not," Hermione answered. "Why would you think you have to give either of them up?"

"People only have two grannies," Scorpius answered. "I don't want to lose Nana Jean and Granny Molly."

"You won't lose either of them, Scorpius," Draco reassured his son. "You're just extra lucky and you get a third granny."

"Okay," Scorpius replied with a nod. "I'll think about it and let you know."

Without another word Scorpius picked up his pencil and returned to his art project. Hermione and Draco shared an amused look over their son's head, while Narcissa just looked confused by the four year olds behaviour.

"What's he thinking about?" Narcissa whispered to her son as Draco stood back up.

"Whether or not he wants a third granny," Draco replied. "If he decides he doesn't like you, he'll not accept that you're his grandmother."

Narcissa paled at the thought of Scorpius rejecting her and for a moment both Draco and Hermione thought she was going to start to cry at the possibility. Luckily she pulled herself together and no tears were forthcoming.

"I'll go and make some tea," Draco announced when he was sure his mother wasn't going to burst into tears. "Take a seat, Mother."

"Don't worry about Scorpius," Hermione said quietly as Narcissa perched on the chair opposite her. "He'll come round just fine. He'll spend the next few hours studying you, but by the time you leave he'll have come round and will be thrilled he's got another grandmother."

Narcissa smiled thinly, not at all sure she believed Draco's wife. Scorpius hadn't seemed at all impressed with her, and to make things worse it appeared as though he already had a substitute grandmother in Molly Weasley of all people. Narcissa doubted she would ever win a place in her grandson's heart, and it killed her that Molly occupied the place she should have been in for all these years.

Narcissa's worries about Scorpius were put to one side when Draco re-entered the room carrying a tea tray. At least she knew Molly Weasley wouldn't have wormed her way into Draco's heart. Even if her son was now close to the Weasleys because of his wife, and that seemed likely considering what she'd seen in Hogsmeade, she knew he would never look on Molly as a mother figure. Or at least she hoped he didn't. She hoped she still held a special place in his heart that no-one, especially not Molly, could take.

Draco handed out the tea to his wife and mother, before handing his son a glass of juice. He then passed around biscuits before settling down next to Hermione with his own tea.

"These are nice biscuits," Narcissa said, trying to make polite conversation with Draco's wife. "Did you make them yourself?"

"No, I'm not very good in the kitchen," Hermione confessed. "I use magic to help prepare almost all our meals, and I'm hopeless at making cakes and biscuits. Luckily both my mother and Molly love to bake so we always have home baked goods. I think these are the biscuits Molly dropped over yesterday."

"They are," Draco confirmed with a smile. "Some of her very best work, I might add," he said as he helped himself to a second one

"Well they're very nice," Narcissa replied with a tight smile. Suddenly the biscuit didn't taste quite as good now she knew the rival for her grandson's affections had made them.

Over tea and biscuits the three adults made polite conversation. Narcissa asked all sorts of questions about Hermione, and seemed genuinely interested in hearing the answers. While Hermione may not have been her ideal choice of wife for her son she was the one he had chosen and Narcissa was determined to give her a chance and get to know her. Narcissa also asked questions about the couple's relationship, which she had followed to some extent in the papers, and she couldn't help but smile at the loving way in which they interacted with one another.

"I'm just sorry I wasn't around for all of this," Narcissa said regretfully. "You'll never know how much I regret what happened. There hasn't been a day gone by when I didn't think about you," she told her son.

"You're here now," Draco replied. "It's pointless to dwell on what could have been. You can't get back the last eight years, but you can make sure you don't miss any more."

"That's exactly what I intend to do," Narcissa said. "I don't plan on missing out on anything. I've already missed my son getting married and my first grandchild being born, not to mention the first four and a half years of his life. I swear, I'm not going to miss another thing and to show you I mean it, I've brought you a gift."

Hermione and Draco exchanged a confused look as Narcissa delved into her handbag and pulled out a small, flat box. Waving her wand over the box she enlarged it to its proper size and handed it over to her son and daughter-in-law.

"Open it," she urged the couple.

Draco pulled at the yellow ribbon that was tied around the box and when it was loose he opened the lid. Hermione and Draco peered into the box and found a brand new Babygro nestled amid a layer of tissue paper. The Babygro was a beautiful shade of turquoise and had the name Malfoy written across the garment in gold lettering.

"Thank you," Draco said in bemusement. "But Scorpius is a bit big for a Babygro."

"It's not for Scorpius," Narcissa chuckled. "It's for the new baby. I may not have been around for your first pregnancy, but I'm here for the second. Anything you need, just ask."

"I think you're a bit confused Narcissa," Hermione said gently. "There is no second pregnancy. At least not yet."

"You don't know, do you?" Narcissa gasped, suddenly understanding why Draco and Hermione looked so confused.

"Know what?" Draco asked.

"Hermione's pregnant," Narcissa announced. "I saw the name scroll on the family tree. It appears when the baby is conceived and is filled with a name once the baby is born and has been named."

"I can't be pregnant," Hermione muttered, while Draco looked at her with wide eyes.

"There's only one way to find out," Draco told his wife. "We have to do a test."

Hermione nodded in response and after asking Narcissa to keep an eye on Scorpius, she dragged Draco off upstairs so they could do a pregnancy test. Five minutes later the shell-shocked couple returned and confirmed that Hermione was indeed pregnant.


	20. Chapter 20

When Hermione and Draco disappeared to do a pregnancy test, Narcissa turned her focus onto her grandson. Throughout the conversation with Draco and Hermione she'd been watching Scorpius, but he'd seemed intent on his drawing and hadn't once looked up at her. However, once his parents were out of the room he put his pencil down and looked up at Narcissa with intelligent brown eyes.

"What are you drawing?" Narcissa asked, trying to engage the four year old in conversation.

"Owls," Scorpius answered. "Me and Mummy are writing another book."

"Another book?" Narcissa frowned in confusion. "Have you wrote a book before?"

"Yeah, it's about a dragon who can't fly," Scorpius replied with a grin. "Do you want to see?"

Narcissa nodded eagerly. "Yes, please."

Scorpius jumped up from the floor and made his way over to the bookshelf in the corner. Pulling a thin book off the shelf he carried to back to Narcissa and handed it over. Narcissa looked at the book in her hands, amazed by how realistic it appeared to be. Someone had clearly gone to a lot of trouble to turn Scorpius's story into a book. Opening the book, Narcissa was amazed to find an enchanting story printed in the book, alongside bright vibrant drawings that were clearly her grandson's work.

"This is amazing," Narcissa told her grandson. "You really are a talented little boy."

Scorpius preened at his new grandmother's compliment as he set about explaining the story about the dragon who couldn't fly. Halfway through his explanation he was interrupted by his parents re-entering the room.

"You were right," Hermione said as she sat back down looking totally bewildered. "I'm pregnant."

"What's pregnant?" Scorpius asked, frowning at the unfamiliar word.

"It means your Mummy is having a baby," Draco explained, sitting down next to Hermione. "You're going to have a baby brother or sister."

"Eeww," Scorpius cried, sticking out his tongue. "Babies are yucky. Jamie's little sister is horrible. She makes nasty smells and she cries all the time."

Jamie Potter was Scorpius's best friend. The two boys had been born just a few months apart, and right from the start they'd been inseparable. Together they caused endless mischief and Draco and Harry had a bet to see which house the pair would end up in once they started Hogwarts. Draco considered the pair to be future Slytherins, but Harry was convinced his son would be a Gryffindor, so he was backing them to be sorted into Gryffindor. Of course the idea of them not ending up in the same house wasn't even on the table as no-one thought they would stand for being separated.

"All babies start off like Lily," Hermione told her son. Lily was the Potters daughter, who had only just been born five months ago. "You were once a baby who cried all the time and made nasty smells."

"No." Scorpius shook his head stubbornly. "I was never that little."

"You were," Draco chuckled. "We have pictures to prove it."

"No, no, no," Scorpius chanted as he sat back down on the floor. "I don't want a baby, take it back."

"It doesn't really work like that Scorp," Hermione said gently. "We're having a baby, and I'm sure you'll be happy about it by the time he or she arrives."

"Can we not get a puppy instead?" Scorpius asked. "Puppies are cute."

"Sorry, no puppy," Draco answered with a chuckle.

"A rabbit? An owl? How about a dragon?" Scorpius pleaded, determined to get something other than a baby.

"Certainly no dragons," Hermione said. "And no other animals," she added, jumping in before Scorpius could begin again. "We're having a baby, Scorpius."

Scorpius frowned at his parents before he turned and glared accusingly at Narcissa. "Did you bring the baby?" he demanded.

"No, I didn't bring the baby," Narcissa said.

"Are you sure?" Scorpius asked suspiciously. "We weren't getting a baby before you came, but now we are."

"Your grandmother just told us about the baby, she didn't bring it with her," Hermione told her son.

"How did you know about the baby?" Scorpius asked, still not convinced that Narcissa wasn't behind his parents suddenly deciding to have a baby.

"I saw it on the tapestry at home," Narcissa answered. "At the manor we have a big family tree and I saw a new box for the new baby."

"Can I see the tree?" Scorpius asked, brightening up at the sound of a big tree. "I like to climb. I can climb really high."

"It's not the sort of tree you climb, Scorp," Draco said, smiling at his son. "It's a big picture that records the members of the family on it."

"Boring," Scorpius said in a singsong way as he rolled his eyes. "Do you have any real trees?" he asked Narcissa. "We have a tree-house at Granny Molly's. Grandpa Arthur built it."

"More like he got the twins to use magic to make it," Draco muttered under his breath. Arthur had actually being going to build the tree-house himself, but the twins had ended up designing a rather lavish tree-house, full of things for the children to do, so Arthur had entrusted them to create it.

"There are trees at the manor," Narcissa informed Scorpius hesitantly. She wasn't sure if she should be mentioning what was at the manor as she doubted Draco would let Scorpius visit anytime soon, and certainly not until some decisions were made about Lucius's involvement in his grandson's life.

"What else is at the manor?" Scorpius asked. "Do you have a Grandpa for me as well? My other Grans have Grandpa's. Grandpa Arthur is Granny Molly's, and Grandpa Richard is Nana Jean's."

Narcissa was taken rather by surprise by Scorpius's question so she turned to Draco and Hermione for guidance. Her son and daughter-in-law looked just as surprised as her, but luckily it only took Draco a few minutes to recover and address his son.

"We can talk about Grandpa's later," he said with a tight smile. "Have you decided about getting a new Gran?"

"What would I call you?" Scorpius asked, turning back to Narcissa and dropping the subject of grandfathers. "Are you a Nana or a Granny?"

"How about you call me Nana Cissa," Narcissa suggested.

"Nana Cissa," Scorpius repeated, before nodding his head. "I can do that."

"Good," Narcissa smiled at her grandson. "I'm very pleased you've decided to let me be your Nana."

"You'll have to do a good job," Scorpius warned Narcissa in all seriousness. "Do you make cakes and biscuits?"

"I don't cook," Narcissa admitted. "But I can get the house elves to whip something up whenever you want," she added, not wanting Scorpius to think she was inferior to his other grandmothers, especially Molly.

"What are house elves? Do you play with them?" Scorpius asked. "Can I have one for my birthday?"

"No," Hermione answered quickly and firmly. "We will be having no house elves in this house."

"Why?" Scorpius questioned. "Are they smelly?"

"No, I just don't agree with using them," Hermione answered.

"I don't have to make cakes and biscuits," Narcissa said quietly. "I can buy them from the shops. I can also buy other presents for Scorpius to make up for all the years I've missed."

"Cool, presents," Scorpius grinned.

"Don't get too excited young man, you're not getting spoiled," Draco warned. As a kid who had been spoiled himself he had no intention of letting his son go down the same route. The last thing he wanted was for Scorpius to be anything like he'd been when he was younger.

"Yes, presents are received in moderation," Hermione added as she sent Scorpius back to his drawing.

"Don't worry, I won't spoil him," Narcissa promised. "I just want a chance to make amends for the past and get to know my grandson."

"Scorpius seems happy to accept you into his life, so we're okay with you seeing him again," Draco told his mother. "However, we're going to have to discuss father at some point."

"Soon?" Narcissa asked eagerly. "He puts on a tough front, but I know he's desperate to speak to you, Draco."

"I'm not so sure the feeling is mutual," Draco admitted. "I haven't decided if I want him in my son's life. Before I even think of letting him see Scorpius, I need to know he's changed. I will not expose my son to the man I grew up with."

"I know he hurt you Draco, but please give him a chance," Narcissa pleaded. "You've given me one, do the same for your father."

"I will, I just need some more time," Draco replied.

"Take all the time you need. We don't want to rush you, Draco," Narcissa said as she stood up. "I best be getting back. Sorry about the way I broke the news about the baby, I had no idea you didn't know."

"It's alright," Hermione replied. "We had to find out sooner or later."

"I just hope you're pleased with the news," Narcissa said. She hadn't been able to work out if Draco and Hermione were happy they were expecting a second child or if they were still in shock and hadn't had time to process things properly.

"We are," Hermione said, turning and sharing a smile with Draco.

"We're just getting over the shock," Draco chuckled.

Narcissa nodded in understanding as she said goodbye to her son, daughter-in-law and grandson. Draco promised to be in touch to make arrangements for another visit before Narcissa left the house, leaving Draco and Hermione to try and come to terms with the fact they would soon be adding to the family.

**{}{}{}{}{}**

After Narcissa had left, Scorpius was full of questions about his new grandmother and what it would mean for him. All afternoon he was excitable and he barely stopped chattering. Getting him ready for bed took an age and it took both Draco and Hermione to get their son settled for the night. After three stories, Scorpius finally drifted off to sleep and Hermione and Draco were finally able to get some time alone to talk. Apart from a brief conversation when they'd been taking the pregnancy test they hadn't managed to discuss the baby, let alone events with Narcissa.

"You do know Scorpius won't let the grandfather thing go for long, don't you?" Hermione checked with her husband as the pair collapsed onto the sofa together. Over the course of the afternoon he'd brought grandfathers up a couple of times, but luckily they'd been able to steer the conversation away from such a tricky topic.

"I know," Draco sighed. "I just don't know what to say to him. Mother may be convinced Father wants to make amends, but I'm not so sure. I can't see Lucius ever accepting things the way things are, especially since nothing has changed since he disowned me, and I would only let him near you and Scorpius if I was sure he wasn't going to cause trouble."

"Something has changed, Draco," Hermione pointed out. "We have Scorpius, and now we're having a second child. Maybe seeing Scorpius was what your parents needed to realise just what they were missing."

"Maybe," Draco conceded. "But father still has a lot of making up to do. Before I let him near Scorpius, I need to know he's willing to move on and put the past behind us. He's the one who was in the wrong, and he needs to prove to me he can see that."

"Hopefully we can fob Scorpius off for another few weeks," Hermione said. "But eventually we are going to have to make a decision about what to tell him."

"Let's just wait and see what happens," Draco said. "For all we know Mother might disappear from our lives if I can't sort things with Father."

"I honestly can't see that happening," Hermione said with a shake of her head. "You saw her today Draco, and you saw how much this meant to her. She couldn't keep her eyes off Scorpius and she was thrilled when he accepted her as his grandmother. I don't think she's going to walk away from him."

"Let's hope not," Draco muttered. After seeing his mother with Scorpius he was slightly more convinced he'd done the right thing in letting her see him, but there was still a shadow of a doubt in his mind about whether or not she would stick around.

Not wanting Draco to get too worried about potential problems with Narcissa, Hermione snuggled closer to her husband and let her hand fall to her stomach. To be honest she was still reeling from discovering she was pregnant, it had come completely out of the blue and she'd never expected to find out she was expecting from her mother-in-law that she was only meeting for the first time.

"I still can't believe she told us you were pregnant," Draco said, placing a kiss on the top of Hermione's head.

"I still can't believe I'm pregnant," Hermione replied. "I've had no indication I was pregnant. With Scorpius I knew practically right away, I was sick as a dog from day one."

"It was a rough pregnancy," Draco said. During her first pregnancy, Hermione had been pretty ill almost the entire time so he was hoping this time would be different.

"Let's hope this one runs more smoothly," Hermione said.

"I'll be here for you, no matter what," Draco vowed, giving his wife a brief kiss. "Even if you're really ill again, I'll look after you."

Hermione smiled at her husband, before she pressed their lips together in a firmer kiss. Draco quickly deepened the kiss and the pair were soon engaged in a heated kissing session. The kissing quickly turned into groping one another and when clothes started to come off they moved the action upstairs. In the privacy of their bedroom the couple collapsed onto their bed where they proceeded to make love.

"Are you happy about the baby?" Hermione asked afterwards as she lay contently in Draco's arms.

"I am," Draco answered. "We've spoken about having more children, and while we haven't planned this I can't wait to add to the family."

"Neither can I," Hermione agreed with a smile. "Do you think Scorpius will come round? He didn't seem impressed this afternoon."

"He'll be fine," Draco reassured his wife. "He was only saying that because Jamie isn't liking having a new sister."

"Let's hope we don't have the same problems Harry and Ginny are having," Hermione said.

Jamie was currently telling anyone who would listen how awful Lily was and how much he hated his sister. And since he and Scorpius were so close, Scorpius was lapping up everything Jamie was saying about his sister. Although if Harry and Ginny managed to convince Jamie that Lily wasn't a demon sent to make his life hell before Hermione had her baby, then maybe Scorpius would be more accepting of the idea of getting a sibling. With a bit of luck they could get Scorpius looking forward to becoming a big brother, so when his little brother or sister arrived he was ready to accept them into the family and look after them.


	21. Chapter 21

The day after Narcissa's visit, the Malfoys got ready to visit The Burrow for the afternoon. Sundays at The Burrow were always full of family, and every week Molly laid on a large spread for whoever turned up. Hermione and Draco liked to visit at least once a month, and while some visits were quieter than others, Draco wasn't expecting a quiet afternoon. Most of the Weasleys knew of his recent meetings with his mother, and her visit with Scorpius the previous day, so he was expecting a virtual full house as he knew everyone would be eager to see how things had gone.

"Are you ready?" Hermione checked as she activated the floo and picked Scorpius up so that he wouldn't get lost. Despite their son being eager to floo on his own, neither Hermione or Draco felt he was ready for that at such a young age.

"Bring on the questions," Draco replied with a rueful smile.

"They just care," Hermione reminded her husband. She knew no-one would mean to interfere in their lives, but sometimes the Weasleys could be a bit overpowering and eager.

"I know," Draco replied with a nod. "Which is why I don't mind answering their questions. Besides, my friends will be just the same when we next see them. In fact I'm surprised Pansy hasn't tried to contact us already. You know how eager she is for gossip."

"I'm sure a Parkinson-Nott has something better to do with her time than gossip," Hermione joked.

Over the years she'd come to realise that Pansy wasn't a bad person, she was just a bit snobby. But at the end of the day her heart was in the right place, and Hermione knew that Pansy was just as keen as Draco's other friends to make sure he didn't get hurt by his mother again.

"Maybe she's too busy henpecking poor Theo," Draco suggested with a laugh.

"What's henpecking?" Scorpius piped up with a frown. "And why is Aunt Pansy doing it to Uncle Theo?"

"It's nothing, sweetie," Hermione said to her son. "Are you ready to go to your Granny Molly's."

"Will Jamie be there?" Scorpius questioned.

"More than likely," Draco replied. "Now get going before all the food is gone."

Laughing at the thought of all the food going before they arrived, which was something that would never happen given the spread Molly always put on, Hermione grabbed some floo powder and stepping into the fire with Scorpius, they disappeared in a whirl of emerald flames. Setting the floo to close after he'd departed, Draco followed after his wife and son.

Draco stepped out of the fire in the Weasleys front room just in time to see Scorpius throwing himself into Molly's waiting arms. As she hugged Scorpius, Molly glanced over his head at his parents, her eyes silently asking how the previous day had gone, and if it was safe to mention it. Hermione gave her a smile and a nod, which was just as well as Scorpius was bursting to share the big news that he had a new grandmother.

"Guess what I got yesterday, Granny Molly," he blurted excitedly. "I got a new Nana."

"Did you?" Molly asked with a smile as she carried Scorpius into the kitchen, with Hermione and Draco following after them. "Is she nice?"

"Yes," Scorpius replied with a nod. "But I don't have to give up a Nana. I checked."

"Checked?" Molly queried, glancing over at Hermione and Draco.

"He made sure he didn't have to give up either you or Jean before he would agree to Mother becoming his new Nana," Draco explained.

"So I get three Nana's," Scorpius announced proudly.

"Aren't you a lucky boy," Molly chuckled, feeling deeply touched that Scorpius loved her so much that he had to check that he could still keep her as his grandmother before accepting a new one.

"Yep, Nana Cissa has big trees I can climb and elves I can play with," Scorpius said excitedly.

"We've discussed this Scorpius. No House Elves," Hermione said sternly.

"But elves are nice, not like babies," Scorpius grouched, pulling a face.

"Babies?" Molly questioned with a frown. "What do babies have to do with anything?"

"Nana Cissa also came with a baby," Scorpius explained with a dramatic sigh. "Mummy and Daddy said she didn't bring it, but we're getting a baby now and we weren't getting one before."

"A baby." Molly turned to Draco and Hermione, excitement written all over her face. "Are you pregnant?"

"I am," Hermione confirmed with a smile. "Narcissa was kind enough to inform us of my pregnancy when she gave us a present for the baby."

"But how did she know?" Molly muttered, momentarily confused before understanding dawned on her. "Ah, the family tree. She saw it on the tapestry."

"She did," Draco confirmed. "But she had no idea that we didn't know."

"How far along are you?" Molly asked Hermione.

"I have no idea," Hermione admitted. "This has come completely out of the blue. I'll arrange to see the healer next week."

"This is great news," Molly declared.

"I wish everyone thought so," Draco remarked, indicating his scowling son still in Molly's arms.

"Are you not happy about being a big brother?" Molly asked Scorpius. "It's a very important job you know, and only special boys get to be big brothers."

"But babies are stinky and cry all the time," Scorpius whinged. "I don't want a baby."

"Now that sounds like Jamie talking," Molly said with a shake of her head. "That grandson of mine is a devil. I don't know what he's got against Lily, she's the sweetest little baby. She's a lot less trouble than he was as a baby."

"Hopefully he'll come around, and hopefully so will Scorpius," Hermione said as Molly allowed Scorpius to grab himself a cube of cheese.

"Of course they will," Molly said confidently as she gave Scorpius another kiss and put him down. "Jamie's in the back garden somewhere, if you want to go and find him, Scorp."

"Cool." Without looking back, Scorpius pulled open the back door and went barrelling out into the Weasleys back garden.

Shaking her head, Hermione followed after her son and headed out into the warm summer day. Draco moved to the doorway, but instead of venturing outside, he took a moment to scan the garden and see how many people he had to contend with. As expected, it looked as though virtually the entire family were present. The only people he couldn't see were Charlie and Bill, who both worked abroad and only visited for special occasions.

"Are you okay?" Molly asked gently.

"I'm fine," Draco replied as he turned back around to face Molly.

"This is a big step for you as well," Molly reminded him. "I know it's easy to focus on how Scorpius is handling having your mother in his life, but it can't be easy on you either."

"I think it'll be easier once I know where things stand with father," Draco admitted.

"And how do they stand with Lucius?"

"I have no idea," Draco confessed with a sigh as he ran his hand through his short, blond hair. "I know he's accepted mother seeing me as there's no way she would have gotten in touch behind his back. But I can't help wondering if he's just accepted it in order to keep mother happy. Has he just allowed her to see me so he can make sure she doesn't leave him?"

"What has Narcissa said about this?"

"She keeps telling me that he wants to make amends, but that he's just too stubborn to back down at the moment. Mother says that all he needs is time, and when we're both ready we can meet up and put the past behind us."

"You don't sound convinced," Molly noted with a wry smile.

"I don't know if it's me she's trying to convince, or herself," Draco admitted. "Part of me really can't see father backing down. The only way back into my life is to accept Hermione and Scorpius, and I just don't know if he can do that."

"But another part of you is hoping that he can swallow his pride and do just that," Molly predicted.

"Yes," Draco whispered. "But I don't know if I'm just setting myself up for more heartbreak. A few months ago, this wasn't even an issue. My parents were part of my past, and I'd long since given up hope of them getting in touch and making amends. But now all this has happened and I've realised that I want a reconciliation. As much as I hate my father for what he did to me, I also still love him, and I want a relationship with him. I want Scorpius to have a relationship with him. But only if I know he's changed. I don't want my son to know the man I grew up with. I want him to have the grandfather he deserves."

"It sounds to me like you have to give him a chance," Molly advised as she gave Draco a reassuring smile. "You'll always regret it if you don't at least try."

"And if it all blows up in my face?"

"You chalk it down to experience," Molly replied wisely. "But at least you won't spend the rest of your life wondering what if. And no matter what happens, I want you to know that you do have a family. We're not going anywhere, Draco."

Even when he'd started dating Hermione, Draco never would have thought that he would hear such a thing from the Weasleys. Nor did he ever think he would want to hear such a thing. But Molly's words were a real comfort, and he knew she genuinely meant them. The Weasleys hadn't had to welcome him into the family, but they'd done so with open arms, and Draco knew that with the family of redheads he always had someone he could rely on to support him unwaveringly.

Thanking Molly for her love and support, Draco headed out into the garden to join Hermione and Scorpius. While Scorpius was busy playing with Jamie, Hermione was sitting next to Harry and Ron. Joining Hermione, Draco greeted her best friends and answered the questions that came his way about his mother. In fact for the next hour he felt as though he did nothing but talk about Narcissa, and by the time Molly announced lunch was ready, he was sure that everyone knew the exact state of play regarding his recent reunion with his mother.

Fortunately, once everyone was breast of the developments other topics of conversations started to sprout around Draco. In fact he was engaged in a discussion with the twins about their planned expansion of their Diagon Alley joke shop when they were interrupted by Lily wailing loudly from her bouncy chair.

"Our niece has a fierce set of lungs on her," Fred laughed.

"She is Ginny's daughter, and she's not exactly quiet," George joked.

Chuckling at the twins, Draco watched as Ginny tried to soothe her daughter. However, no matter what she tried, Lily kept on crying and even Harry couldn't get her to be quiet.

"Make her stop Mum," Jamie pleaded, wandering up to where Ginny and Harry were sitting rocking Lily in her chair and trying to stop her crying.

"I'm trying," Ginny muttered.

"Stupid little baby," Jamie grouched, turning to his sister and sticking his tongue out at her.

Instantly Lily stopped crying and began to giggle as Jamie continued to pull faces at his sister.

"Nice one, Jamie," Harry said, ruffling his son's jet black hair.

"I stopped her crying?" Jamie asked with wide eyes as he turned to his father.

"Of course you did," Harry replied. "It looks like all Lily wanted was her big brother.

"Why?" Jamie asked, looking suspiciously at Lily, who was watching him intently.

"Because she loves you silly," Ginny laughed.

"She really loves me?" Jamie checked, sitting himself down in front of his sister's bouncy chair.

"She really loves you," Ginny confirmed, pressing a kiss to the top of Jamie's head as he pulled another silly face at Lily, causing her to giggle merrily.

"Cool," Jamie gasped. "Scorp, come and see what I can do."

As Scorpius joined Jamie on the grass beside Lily, Draco and Hermione shared a hopeful look as Jamie proudly displayed his newfound ability to make his sister laugh. With any luck, they were witnessing the start of Jamie accepting his little sister, and once he did that, hopefully Scorpius would also start to look forward to becoming a big brother.

**{}{}{}{}{}**

That night, Hermione tucked a thoughtful Scorpius up in bed. He'd thoroughly enjoyed his day at The Burrow, but since returning home, he'd been slightly quiet. However, whenever Draco or Hermione had asked him if he was alright, he claimed to be fine.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Hermione checked again once Scorpius was washed, had brushed his teeth and was tucked up in bed.

Scorpius nodded his head, but Hermione could tell that he wanted to say something. But rather then pushing him, she stayed quiet as she soothed down his hair and made sure he was tucked in snugly.

"Mum," Scorpius began hesitantly.

"Yes," Hermione replied, trying not to seem too shocked that Scorpius had called her Mum for the first time as usually he called her Mummy. Even when Jamie had stopped using Mummy and Daddy and started using Mum and Dad, Scorpius had stuck to what he was used to.

"If I'm a big brother, I'll be a big boy, won't I?" he asked.

"You will," Hermione confirmed with a nod.

"You know, maybe babies aren't that bad," he offered, still sounding slightly reluctant to admit such a thing.

"Maybe they're not," Hermione agreed. "And you know, they don't stay babies forever. In a few years, the baby will be big enough for you to play with. Then you'll always have someone to play with."

"I guess that won't be too bad," Scorpius conceded.

"I guess it won't be," Hermione agreed, hiding her amusement. "But you know, the baby isn't coming for a few months yet. For a while, it'll still be you, me and Daddy."

"Dad," Scorpius corrected sternly. "If I'm a big brother, I'll be a big boy. No more baby names."

"Okay," Hermione said with a small chuckle. "So does this mean, you want a little brother or sister."

"No, a puppy would still be better," Scorpius replied. "But I don't get a choice, do I?"

"No, sweetie, you don't," Hermione admitted. "But you will be able to help us prepare for the baby. When it's time, you can help us decorate the nursery and maybe even help us pick a name. Would you like that?"

"I suppose," Scorpius said with a nod. "Can I also help pick the baby?"

"We don't pick the baby, Scorpius," Hermione chuckled. "Can you remember when Aunt Ginny had Lily?"

"When she got fat?" Scorpius asked.

"She wasn't fat, she was pregnant," Hermione corrected. "Our baby is in my tummy, and he or she will stay there until they're big enough to face the world. But when they're ready, they'll come out, and I bet the first person they want to see if their big brother."

"The baby will know who I am?" Scorpius asked with wide eyes.

"Of course the baby will know you," Hermione assured her son. "You saw Lily today. She knew who Jamie was."

"Jamie made her laugh," Scorpius said with a grin.

"And when we have the baby, you can make them laugh," Hermione said.

"I suppose," Scorpius said with a nod. "But are you sure we don't get the baby right away?"

"I'm sure," Hermione answered. "Why? Do you want the baby now?"

"No, I like it just us," Scorpius whispered.

"You know even when the baby comes, you'll still be my little boy," Hermione said, wrapping her arm around Scorpius. "I'll still love you. And no-one else will be able to write the stories you do."

"Can we do another one after the owl?" Scorpius asked eagerly.

"We can do as many as we want," Hermione assured him.

"Maybe I can do one for the baby," Scorpius suggested.

"That would be lovely," Hermione said, pressing a kiss to the top of her son's head, thrilled that he finally seemed to be coming around to the idea of having a little brother or sister. "But for now, it's time you went to sleep."

"Okay," Scorpius muttered with a yawn as he snuggled down in his bed. "Do I get to see Nana Cissa again tomorrow?"

"Soon, Scorpius, soon," Hermione promised, giving her son a final kiss before she left him to sleep and headed to tell Draco that it seemed as though Scorpius was coming around to the idea of a sibling and with any luck, he would be looking forward to the event by the time she gave birth.


	22. Chapter 22

Sitting in his office, Lucius sat with his back to the desk, gazing out of the window which offered him views of wizarding London if he chose to look. But Lucius wasn't gazing out of the window, admiring the view, he was lost in his own thoughts and could see nothing but images of his son and grandson.

It had been a few months since he'd seen Scorpius in Diagon Alley, and his wife had been in contact with their grandson for over a month now. After every visit, Narcissa regaled him of stories about his grandson, and Lucius felt as though he already knew the vibrant little boy he'd yet to meet. However, as eager Lucius was to lap up his wife's tales, they also stung him as he was reminded that he'd yet to have the privilege of meeting his grandson, and it wasn't even guaranteed to ever happen for him.

Part of Lucius was furious with himself for being unable to swallow his pride and admit he was wrong. He was well aware that a grovelling apology, along with full acceptance of his son's choice of wife, would work wonders with building bridges with Draco. Unfortunately, it wasn't that easy for Lucius. As much as he wished he could do just that, and set things back on track with Draco, he just wasn't sure if he was able to do such a thing. To do so would go against everything he was raised to believe, and be at odds with the way he'd lived his life.

"This is all your fault, you old bastard," he swore, swinging himself around in his chair to face the large portrait of his intimidating father, Abraxas, which dominated the wall opposite his desk.

Unlike most wizarding portraits, which contained enough essence of the subject to make them virtually lifelike, Abraxas was silent as Lucius glared at him. Lucius himself had removed the magic in the portrait after he'd gotten sick of his father trying to interfere in his running of the business. In fact he would have removed the whole picture if his father hadn't used a strong brand of magic meaning only he could remove the portrait, which now couldn't happen because he was dead. So, Lucius had gotten used to having his father staring down at him while he was working.

Besides, he didn't need a portrait of his father to know what Abraxas would say about the situation. It had been Abraxas's voice in his head when he'd made the decision to cut Draco off, and he knew his father would have made the same move. Only where he was now wanting to reconcile with Draco, he knew Abraxas wouldn't even be thinking of such a thing. In fact, even now he could still hear a voice in his head, his father's voice, reminding him that if he accepted Hermione into the family he was betraying his ancestors. If he accepted Hermione as Draco's wife, he was condoning the Malfoys fall as a pure-blood family.

"But it's happened whether I condone it or not," Lucius muttered, almost as if he was arguing with his father. "Draco is still a Malfoy. His son is still a Malfoy. They carry the family name, and it's already tainted. We will never be pure again."

Without magic to respond, Abraxas's portrait merely watched Lucius silently. Only now Lucius felt as though his father was glaring at him, judging him for even thinking about backing down. Hating the fact that a dead man could make him feel so inadequate, and had him doubting what he really wanted, Lucius stormed to his feet and grabbed his cloak and cane.

"One thing I do know father," he spat, pausing in front of the portrait of his father. "I do not want to end up like you. A bitter, twisted old man whom no-one loved."

Sweeping out of his office, Lucius barked an instruction to his assistant to cancel his meetings for the rest of the day. Ignoring her protests that he had a meeting in less than an hour and it would be difficult to cancel at such a late stage, he continued on out of the building. Once outside he realised he didn't want to go home, so he headed to Diagon Alley to maybe have a quiet drink and a bit of fresh air.

As if his feet had a mind of their own, Lucius soon found himself hovering outside of Red Diamond. Despite the wine bar being open for so many years, Lucius had never set foot in the establishment owned by his son. Of course, he'd heard plenty about the bar, as he had all of Draco's businesses, and he knew it had a good reputation. A glance through the windows revealed that the bar was doing decent business despite it being early afternoon in the middle of a working week.

Before he stopped himself, Lucius strode into the bar and after ordering himself a drink, he settled himself at a table beside the window. Half watching the people passing by outside, the rest of Lucius's attention was on the other customers. A few people looked to just be relaxing, but Lucius counted at least three tables occupied by groups that looked like they were having business meetings. Although looking around the place, Lucius could see why someone would choose to hold a meeting in the bar rather than a stuffy office. Sometimes it was nice to get out and about, and it was all the nicer if you were in a classy establishment like Red Diamond so clearly was.

Lucius nursed two drinks as he continued to ponder his future relationship with Draco, and by the time he'd finished the second drink he was almost certain that he was ready to ask Narcissa to arrange a meeting between himself and his son. He would be lying if he said he was ready to accept Hermione into the family, but he did think he was ready to try and mend some fences. The truth was, he missed his son and he didn't want to leave it too late before making amends. He didn't want to end up a bitter old man like his father had been, and that was exactly what would happen to him if he didn't at least try and speak to Draco.

As he left Red Diamond, Lucius was nearly knocked off his feet by two teenagers riding strange metal objects with two wheels. The devices were unmistakably muggle, and as such had no place in Diagon Alley in Lucius's opinion. Yelling at the two teenagers to be more careful, Lucius was aggrieved when they just laughed at him, and he was sure one of them called him an old man.

"I'll old man you, you little git," he muttered to himself as the two youths darted through the crowds on their muggle death-traps.

Deciding he would treat Narcissa to a new book, some saucy romance she'd mentioned had just been released, Lucius headed up towards Flourish and Blotts. As the shop came into sight, his breath caught in his throat as he spotted Hermione and Scorpius emerging from the shop. At the same time he caught sight of the two teenagers on their dangerous contraptions heading back down the street, moving far too fast for Lucius's liking. Just as Lucius was thinking that the pair were an accident waiting to happen the youth in the front swerved to avoid a witch emerging from the shop opposite Flourish and Blotts and headed straight for Hermione and Scorpius.

As Lucius let out a cry of warning and instinctively started to move towards his grandson and daughter-in-law, Hermione spotted the teenager and quickly moved Scorpius out of the way. However, she wasn't fast enough to also get out of the way and the teenager mowed into her, sending them both crashing to the floor. The muggle device the young wizard had been riding also fell to the ground, and as it did so, it caught Scorpius who was also knocked to the floor.

"You irresponsible little git," Lucius growled, hauling the boy to his feet by the back of his shirt and freezing him in place.

"Hey, you can't do that," his friend objected.

"I can do what I like considering your friend has just ran into my family," Lucius snarled, reacting on instinct rather than thinking about what he was doing and saying. "I swear if anyone is hurt, I'll skin the little bugger myself."

Picking up the metal contraption which had knocked both Hermione and Scorpius over, and throwing it to one side, narrowly missing the second teenager who was still ranting about his frozen friend, Lucius knelt down beside Hermione, who was still lying on the floor looking slightly dazed.

"Are you okay?" he checked. "Have you banged your head?"

"I don't think so," Hermione replied, before her eyes grew wide and she started to look around frantically. "Scorpius!"

"I'm here Mum," Scorpius called from where he was also still lying on the floor.

"Are you hurt, Scorpius?" Lucius asked, quickly moving over to his grandson.

"I scraped my knee and my hands," Scorpius replied, holding up his bloody hands and gesturing to where his trousers were now skinned at the knees.

"He's fine," Lucius told Hermione as he helped Scorpius to his feet and took him back to Hermione. "But what about you?"

"Just a bit bruised and battered," Hermione answered, wincing slightly as Scorpius flung his arms around her.

"Little hoodlum," Lucius spat, glaring over his shoulder at the frozen teenager and his friend, who was now pleading with onlookers to remove the spell on his friend.

"It was an accident," Hermione said as she tried to struggle to her feet.

"Let me," Lucius said, wrapping his arm around Hermione and helping her to stand.

"Thank you," Hermione whispered.

"You're welcome," Lucius replied, glancing down at Hermione before turning his attention to the manager of Flourish and Blotts, who had emerged to see what the commotion was. "I want you to contact the Ministry, and report these hooligans," Lucius ordered the wizard, whom he knew quite well. "The frozen one knocked down my pregnant daughter-in-law and my grandson. I want the book throwing at him. Tell whoever comes, I'll be along at the Ministry later to make sure some action is taken. But I can't stop now as I have to get my family to the hospital to get checked out."

"There really is no need," Hermione muttered from Lucius's side. Her head was pounding, but she wasn't sure if it was due to the fall, or because of the unexpected display of protectiveness that Lucius was showing towards her and Scorpius.

"There is every need," Lucius stated firmly. "You are pregnant and need checking out. As does my grandson. Please don't argue with me, as I will not be swayed. We are going to St Mungo's."

Not wanting to argue further, as she knew Lucius was right and she needed checking out, Hermione patiently waited for Lucius to double check that the manager of Flourish and Blotts had called the Ministry to report the accident. Once he was sure action was being taken, he then picked Scorpius up and holding onto Hermione, he whisked them off to St Mungo's. No sooner had they arrived at the hospital than Lucius had summoned some staff to see to Hermione and Scorpius, all the while making sure everyone knew it was his family which had been hurt and he wanted the best treatment for them.

"The best place for Mrs Malfoy is the pre-natal wing," the Medi-Witch informed Lucius. "But Scorpius needs checking out by a paediatric healer."

"Check Scorpius first," Hermione insisted.

"No," Lucius contradicted with a sharp nod of his head. "Take my daughter-in-law to pre-natal, and send for my son, Draco Malfoy. I will take my grandson up to paediatrics and make sure he's seen. And the second he's got the all clear, we will come and find you," he added to Hermione before she had a chance to object.

"Okay," Hermione conceded. "Scorpius, be a good boy and go with Lucius."

"Is he my Grandpa?" Scorpius asked, having being listening to everything that had been said.

"Yes, I rather think he is," Hermione said, smiling softly at Lucius and thanking him for his help.

"Come on young man, let's get you sorted," Lucius said, steering Scorpius towards the lifts while the Medi-Witch settled Hermione in a wheelchair and whisked her off to pre-natal.

"Will Mum be okay?" Scorpius asked as the lift travelled up to paediatrics. "Is she hurt?"

"Your Mum will be fine," Lucius assured the young wizard, hoping that he wasn't lying to his grandson upon meeting him for the first time. "But let's worry about you. Let's get these hands and knees cleaned up."

As well as getting his hands and knees cleaned up, Scorpius was also checked for head injuries, but thankfully he was given a clean bill of health. However, before they headed back to see Hermione, Lucius sat Scorpius down on a chair and fixed his tattered trousers.

"A Malfoy must always look his best," Lucius informed his grandson as he tidied Scorpius up.

"Is that what you are? A Malfoy?" Scorpius asked.

"I am," Lucius replied.

"I'm a Malfoy," Scorpius beamed proudly.

"I know," Lucius replied, unable to stop himself from smirking at the pride his grandson was showing in being a Malfoy.

"Mum and Dad are also Malfoys," Scorpius continued. "And the baby when it comes. Is Nana Cissa a Malfoy? Are you my Grandpa that comes with Nana Cissa?"

"I am," Lucius answered.

"Why haven't I seen you before?" Scorpius asked. "Why haven't you come to play with me like Nana Cissa?"

"Because, I am a very stupid man, young Scorpius," Lucius replied with a sigh. "A long time ago, long before you were born, I had an argument with your father and we stopped speaking. I was stupid and let my son go."

"Why did you stop speaking? Did someone lose their voice?" Scorpius questioned. "I lost my voice once when I had the sniffles. I couldn't talk for two whole days."

"How terrible," Lucius chuckled, having the feeling that it had been terrible in Scorpius's eyes not to be able to talk for that long. "But your father and I didn't lose our voices. I was just stupid and didn't say sorry."

"I always say sorry when I do something wrong," Scorpius said with a little bob of his head. "Mum says it's the right thing to do."

"And it is," Lucius agreed. "Now why don't we go and see your Mum. I'm sure she's dying to see you."

Taking Scorpius by the hand, Lucius checked which floor they needed to be on and together they headed off to see Hermione. Although Lucius was also bracing himself to come face to face with Draco, as by now he fully expected his son would have arrived to check on his wife and son. He just hoped that the meeting went well and he didn't have to say goodbye to Scorpius after such a short time in his company. Already Lucius was charmed by his grandson, and his instinctive reaction to seeing Hermione being hurt revealed just how much his family truly meant to him – even the muggleborn element. Not that Lucius thought it was going to be easy accepting Hermione, but at least now he knew that he could do it. He just hoped that Draco gave him the chance to prove it.


	23. Chapter 23

Draco was busy with Blaise, sorting the details for the opening of Gold Diamond, which was rapidly approaching, when he got word that Hermione had been hurt and had been rushed into hospital. Immediately fearing the worst, he uncharacteristically began to panic, but fortunately Blaise was on hand to calm him down and to remind him that if Hermione had been badly hurt, she would need him to be calm and collected. Ensuring that Draco wasn't about to have a total meltdown, Blaise then sent him off to the hospital with a promise to be with him as soon as he'd finished at the hotel.

When he arrived at St Mungo's, Draco quickly found his wife was on the pre-natal ward, and it wasn't until he reached the ward and a Medi-Witch informed him that so far all seemed fine with Hermione and the baby that he started to really calm down. However, it wasn't until he was shown into a private room, where his wife was waiting, that his heart rate began to drop and he felt as though he could breath easily.

"I was so worried," he gasped as he pulled Hermione into his arms. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"I seem to be fine," Hermione assured her husband. "Healer Mills is sorting a scan, but it's just precautionary. Luckily, I wasn't badly hurt. I was more shaken than anything else."

"So what did happen?" Draco asked, feeling a bit better now he knew the healer who was overseeing Hermione's pregnancy was treating his wife. "I got a message about an accident in Diagon Alley, but to be honest as soon as the word hospital was mentioned I couldn't stop thinking the worst."

"There's no need, the baby and I are fine," Hermione said, squeezing Draco's hand reassuringly. "Scorpius and I were coming out of the bookshop and a couple of boys on bikes were riding around the street. One of them swerved to avoid running into someone, and almost ran into Scorpius. I got Scorpius out of the way, but I ended up getting hit and I went down."

"Where is Scorpius?" Draco questioned, scanning the room in case he'd missed his son, even though he knew Scorpius wasn't in the room as he would have noticed.

"He's up in paediatrics getting checked out," Hermione replied.

"I thought you said he wasn't knocked over," Draco remarked with a confused frown.

"When the young lad knocked me over, he came off his bike and the bike knocked Scorpius down. But don't worry, he just grazed his hands and knees. Like me his check-ups are precautionary."

"I should go and see him, he shouldn't be alone." Draco looked towards the door, feeling the pull to go and check on his son, but very aware that he didn't want to leave his wife until he was a hundred percent sure that the baby was fine.

"He's not alone," Hermione admitted. "Your father is with him."

"Father?" Draco's head whipped back around to face Hermione, shock written all over his face. "Do you mean Lucius?"

"How many other fathers do you have?" Hermione chuckled.

"What is he doing with Scorpius? What aren't you telling me, Hermione?"

"He was in Diagon Alley and he saw the entire thing," Hermione explained. "All I know is one minute I'm sent crashing to the ground, and the next, your father is there ranting about his family getting hurt."

"Family?" Draco raised a sceptical eyebrow, wondering if his wife hadn't banged her head and wasn't a bit confused.

"Yes, family," Hermione confirmed with a nod of her head. "He yanked the poor sod who'd knocked me down to his feet and froze him in place. He then insisted the Ministry was called and the incident was dealt with. And he was the one who insisted we come to hospital, Draco. He brought Scorpius and I here, and he made sure we were seen as quickly as possible. And all the time he kept making a big deal about his grandson and daughter-in-law."

"Maybe mother was right after all," Draco whispered, not quite sure what to make of what he was hearing. "Maybe he does want to make amends."

"No matter what, you owe him your thanks, Draco. He was there for Scorpius and I when we needed him."

Draco nodded, agreeing that the least Lucius deserved was a thank you. However, thoughts of his father were soon put on the back burner as Healer Mills entered the room with a Medi-Witch. Greeting Draco, Healer Mills set up the scanning equipment so they could double check that Hermione and the baby were just fine. Throughout the scan, Draco held onto Hermione's hand and they both shared a relieved smile when they saw their child projected on the wall in front of them and Healer Mills confirmed that everything was just fine with the baby.

"I know you have an appointment next week for a scan, and you were thinking about finding out the baby's sex," Healer Mills said. Thanks to magic, they could find out the sex of the baby a lot earlier than muggles, and unlike muggles who could sometimes get it wrong, it was virtually impossible for a magical scan to make a mistake. "I can tell you now, if you want."

"We did say it would be easier for Scorpius if we could tell him if he was getting a brother or a sister," Hermione remarked, glancing up at Draco to see if he wanted to know the sex of their baby. With Scorpius they had chosen not to find out his sex beforehand, but things were different with their second child.

"Let's find out," Draco replied with a grin as both he and Hermione turned expectantly to Healer Mills.

"You can tell Scorpius that very soon he'll have a little sister to look after," Healer Mills informed the couple with a smile.

"A girl," Hermione sighed wistfully, resting her hand on her stomach. As much as she would have loved another boy, she would be lying if she said she wasn't secretly happy she was having a little girl.

"And you're sure everything is alright?" Draco checked with the healer.

"I'm positive," Healer Mills assured the anxious father. "Hermione and the baby are perfectly fine. And another young man with a clean bill of health is waiting in the relatives room with his grandfather."

"Go and see Scorpius," Hermione urged her husband. "And remember to thank Lucius."

"I'll sort the discharge papers, and then you can all go home," Healer Mills announced as she left the room.

Draco followed Healer Mills out of the room, and headed towards the relatives room she pointed him towards. However, instead of entering immediately, he took a few moments to gather his thoughts. Now he knew his family were all unhurt, his mind was filled with thoughts of his father, and he couldn't help but wonder if he was ready to see him again. Although he didn't have any choice in the matter as like it or not, it was time to see Lucius again.

Pushing open the door of the relatives room, Draco entered the room just as Scorpius was asking Lucius about his long hair. His son was sitting on a chair beside Lucius, his fingers playing with his grandfather's long platinum blond hair. Draco winced as Scorpius declared that only girls had long hair, but he stayed quiet to see how his father would respond. Surprisingly, Lucius chuckled at Scorpius and informed the young boy that he'd grown his hair to annoy his father, which was something Draco had never known. He'd often wondered why his father had grown his hair, but had never had the nerve to ask.

"Is your Dad also a Malfoy?" Scorpius asked. "Can I meet him?"

"My father is dead," Lucius replied.

"Oh, that's sad," Scorpius said softly as he gave Lucius a gentle pat on the arm. "So why is your hair still long then?"

"That's a good question," Draco piped up, clearly startling Lucius who suddenly looked awkward. "If you grew your hair to annoy grandfather, why didn't you cut it once he'd died?"

"By then I'd grown to like it," Lucius replied with a slight shrug. "Besides, even now it feels like a rebellion to keep it long. I didn't have the guts to rebel in any other way. I wasn't strong enough to stand up to him on other important matters, so all I had was my hair."

Draco wondered if Lucius was referring to him standing up for himself, but he didn't get a chance to ask before Scorpius launched himself at him, firing questions at him about Hermione.

"Your Mum is fine," Draco assured his son. "And so is your sister."

"Sister?" Scorpius questioned with wide eyes. "I've got a sister?"

"Not quite yet, but in a few months," Draco answered. "But we now know the baby is a girl, so we can prepare for her arrival."

"But I wanted a brother," Scorpius protested. "Boys are cool, and girls drool."

"Where did you hear that?" Draco questioned with a laugh.

"Max," Scorpius answered with a shrug. "He said it to Mina last week."

"Is that why she was crying?" Draco asked, recalling how the previous weekend, when all their friends had gathered for a picnic, Mina had thrown a tantrum worthy of her mother and created a right scene by wailing over something Max had said to her.

"I don't know, she's always crying," Scorpius replied with a dramatic sigh. "I heard Uncle Theo saying she was high something or other."

"High maintenance," Draco predicated. "Just like her mother. Be a good boy, Scorpius, and go and check out the toys in the corner while I speak to my father."

Obediently Scorpius trotted off to check the toys which had been left for waiting children to play with. Draco waited until his son was totally engrossed in what he was doing before he sat down in a chair opposite his father and really looked at the man he hadn't seen for eight years. Looks wise, Lucius was still as handsome as ever, but for the first time in his life, Draco could see doubt swimming in his grey eyes.

"I should thank you for today," Draco began. "Hermione said it was you that insisted that she and Scorpius come to get checked out."

"I didn't want anything to happen to them," Lucius said with a slight shrug. "And I will make sure that the hooligan than knocked them over will be punished."

"I'm not sure you can be arrested for knocking someone over," Draco remarked with a half-smile. "Hermione said it was accident."

"One that could have been avoided if those boys weren't riding around on those muggle death traps," Lucius protested. "I am going to make sure those contraptions are banned from our streets. And even if I can't get the boys arrested, I'm going to make sure they do something to make amends to Hermione. They just need to think themselves lucky that both she and the baby are okay. They are okay, aren't they? You weren't just trying to ease Scorpius's mind?"

"Hermione and the baby are truly okay," Draco assured his father. "Although I am very surprised by how much you care. Especially about my wife."

"Truthfully, so am I," Lucius replied honestly, deciding that if he was to make amends with his son he needed to be honest with him. "I've regretted disowning you from the second I did it, Draco."

"It doesn't seem like it," Draco snorted. "You've had eight years to make amends, yet you've done nothing."

"It's not easy to break away from decades of thinking and acting one way," Lucius admitted. "Even though I regretted my actions, I reacted how I was raised to behave. As I said before, I never had the guts to really stand up to my father. His teachings are ingrained in me, and it's hard to change that so late in life."

"You're not that old," Draco pointed out. "You'll likely live for years yet."

"True, but I've still lived for a long time," Lucius countered. "I'm not trying to make excuses Draco, I just need you to know how hard this is for me. I was raised to toe the line, and I've done so my entire life."

"I was raised the same way, but I still had a mind of my own," Draco protested.

"And that is why you're stronger than I can ever be," Lucius said quietly. "Even when I shouted at you, and disowned you for disobeying me, part of me respected you for being able to stand up for yourself. I just wish I'd made different choices and had the guts to break free of my father's teaching back then."

"And you can do that now?" Draco questioned, his expression showing that he wasn't quite sure if he believed his father.

"I'm not saying it's going to be easy, and I'm certainly not saying I won't make mistakes, but I'd like to try," Lucius replied sincerely. "I agreed to your mother making contact, partly because it was what she needed to do to be happy, but mainly because I was hoping that if you could forgive her, you could forgive me."

"Then why have you waited so long?" Draco asked. "Mother's been back in my life for a few months now. She kept saying you weren't ready, and even though I wasn't sure if I was ready to see you, I thought she was deluding herself. I thought that you would never be ready, and that you would never accept my choices in life."

"I've always known that to really earn your forgiveness, and to deserve it, that I would have to accept all your life choices," Lucius admitted. "I've long accepted that your business choice was the right one, and I couldn't be prouder of the empire you've built for yourself. I was even pretty sure I could accept that my grandson wasn't a pure-blood, even if it did grieve me somewhat, and even if it would have disgusted your grandfather."

"But you weren't sure if you could accept a muggleborn as part of the family," Draco finished for her father, not quite able to hide his irritation at Lucius's attitude.

"I knew I couldn't expect to make things right if I didn't accept your wife," Lucius agreed. "And I've tried, Draco. I've lain awake on countless nights trying to convince myself that her blood doesn't matter. But every time I think I'm making progress, I hear my father's voice in my head ordering me to uphold the family honour. Even earlier today if you'd asked me if I could accept your wife, I couldn't have given you an answer either way."

"But now you can?"

"Now I can," Lucius confirmed. "When I saw her being hurt, all I could think of was that she was my family. Her blood didn't matter in that moment. All I saw was my son's pregnant wife being knocked to the ground, and I reacted instinctively. I proved to myself that I can overlook her blood status. I'm not saying I'm perfect, Draco, and I'm certainly not saying I won't mess up and say something rash, but I can promise you that I will always try my hardest, and I will always remember that despite her blood, Hermione is a Malfoy."

Not quit sure how to respond, Draco silently digested everything Lucius had said. He believed that his father was genuine, and meant every word that had come out of his mouth. And he especially appreciated the fact that Lucius hadn't hidden how hard this entire situation was for him, and he hadn't made rash promises that he wouldn't be able to keep.

"I don't think this will be easy for any of us," Draco finally said. "But I want to try. Despite my initial misgivings, I've been pleased to welcome mother back into my life, and I'd like the same chance with you. But as with mother, we take things slowly. Scorpius is my priority, and I don't want him getting hurt."

"I wouldn't hurt him for the world," Lucius vowed. "I already think he's the most remarkable little boy I've ever met. I would be proud to be a grandfather to him, and I would give anything to be a father to you again."

"Let's see how we go," Draco said. "Maybe you and mother could come to ours for Sunday lunch at the weekend."

"I'd like that," Lucius replied with a smile. "And thank you for giving me a chance, Draco. I'm not sure I deserve it, but thank you."

"Everyone deserves a second chance," Draco said as he rose to his feet. "But it's also your last chance. Blow this, and you lose me and your grandchildren forever."

"I'm not that stupid," Lucius said. He'd been stupid enough to lose Draco once, and he wasn't going to make the same mistake twice.

"Come on Scorp," Draco called to his son. "We'll go and collect your Mum and go home."

"Is Grandpa coming with us?" Scorpius asked.

"Not today," Draco replied as he took hold of Scorpius's hand. "You can see him again at the weekend."

"Cool," Scorpius grinned. "Bye, new Grandpa, see you soon."

"See you soon, Scorpius," Lucius returned in a thick voice as he fought back his emotions at being given a second chance with his son and having the chance to get to know his amazing little grandson.

Saying goodbye to his father, and feeling as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders, Draco steered Scorpius to Hermione's room and when she was fully discharged, they headed home and spent the rest of the day together – just the three of them.


	24. Chapter 24

Lucius had never suffered from nerves, but as he got ready to have Sunday lunch with his family, his entire body was racked with them. He'd changed outfits several times, not wanting to be too formal and stuffy, but not wanting to look as though he was trying too hard. In the end, he'd decided to forgo his usual robes, and just wear his normal clothes of trousers and a smart shirt.

"Maybe I should go and put my robes on," he muttered to Narcissa as they got ready to leave.

"You look perfect as you are," Narcissa assured her husband. She understood her husband's nerves, but she also knew that the longer they spent getting ready the worse it would be for him. "Shall we go?"

Due to the estrangement with Draco and his family, a floo connection wasn't established between their house and the manor, meaning apparition was the only way for them to travel. However, since Lucius had never visited the village his son lived in, it was up to his wife to lead the way. Lucius had never put himself in Narcissa's hands when it came to apparating before, and even though he knew she was a talented witch and he trusted her implicitly, he couldn't help but be nervous. Yet again, he was doing something he'd been raised not to do, and that was to let a woman take charge of the travel arrangements. As a gentleman, he'd been raised to be the one who escorted women, not the other way around.

"Don't look so nervous," Narcissa chuckled as she slipped her arm through her husband's. "I've never had an accident, yet. I won't splinch either of us."

"I know you won't, but this does not feel right," Lucius muttered. "I should be the one taking charge."

"You can take charge in the bedroom later," Narcissa promised him with a sultry smile, before she pulled out her wand and they vanished with a small pop.

True to her word, there were no splinching issues and Narcissa delivered them to their destination in one piece. Although the one good thing about arriving outside, was that he got a chance to see where his son lived. The village they lived in seemed nice and pleasant and the surrounding countryside was gorgeous. As for his son's house, it was far smaller than anywhere a Malfoy had lived for generations and Lucius knew he would have to work hard not to be disparaging about the size of his son's house. The last thing he wanted to do was to blow his second chance by being a snob.

"It's a lovely house," Narcissa said as if reading her husband's mind. "Not as big as the manor, but a lovely size for a small family."

"I'm sure it's very nice," Lucius replied with a nod.

Taking hold of her husband's hand, Narcissa led the way up the garden path and rang the doorbell. Within seconds, Hermione answered the door and ushered them inside with a warm smile.

"Go on through, the boys are in the living room," she said, pointing the way for Lucius's sake.

While Hermione headed towards the back of the house, Lucius followed his wife towards the living room. Entering the room, he paused momentarily when he spotted his grandson sitting on the floor playing with his dragons. However, his grandson wasn't alone as sitting beside Scorpius, making the little boy laugh, was Blaise Zabini.

"Father, Mother," Draco greeted, rising from the chair he'd been sitting on. "You remember Blaise, don't you?"

Noticing the challenging look in his son's eye, Lucius realised that Blaise's presence was a test for him. The message his son was sending out was loud and clear. Either he accepted Blaise, or he walked away and they ended this now.

"Nice to see you again, Blaise," Lucius said with a polite nod of his head. It wasn't exactly true as he'd never taken to his son's brash best friend, but he could be polite and he could learn to tolerate the younger wizard if it meant reuniting with his family.

"Mr Malfoy," Blaise returned with a slightly incline of his head. "Mrs Malfoy."

"Blaise," Narcissa greeted stiffly, before turning to his grandson with a smile. "Hello, Scorpius."

"Hi Nana Cissa," Scorpius cried, jumping up and bounding over to his grandparents. "New Grandpa, you're here."

"New Grandpa?" Narcissa queried with an arched eyebrow. "I think we need to find you a better name than that. How about Grandpa Lucius."

"Grandpa Lucius," Scorpius repeated carefully. "I like it," he announced after a moment's thought.

"Thank Merlin for that," Lucius muttered with a slight chuckle.

"Can I get either of you a drink?" Draco asked his parents as they took seats near to where Scorpius was playing.

"That would be lovely," Narcissa replied with a smile.

"Blaise?" Draco checked after finding out what his parents wanted to drink.

"I'll not say no," Blaise answered as he hauled himself up from the floor and settled in a chair.

"Uncle Blaise, you're playing dragons with me," Scorpius pouted.

"Uncle Blaise is tired," Blaise said.

"More like Uncle Blaise is hung-over," Draco snorted as he handed round the drinks.

"I am not hung-over, I was in bed long before midnight," Blaise countered.

"Alone?" Draco asked in amusement.

"What do you think?" Blaise countered with a wiggle of his eyebrows which revealed that he hadn't been alone.

"Play with me Uncle Blaise," Scorpius pleaded.

"How about you play with Grandpa Lucius?" Draco suggested. "I'm sure he would love to play with you."

"Yeah, will you?" Scorpius asked, turning to his new grandfather with an eager grin.

"Of course I'll play with you," Lucius said as he elegantly slid onto the floor to engage with his grandson. Playing on the floor wasn't something he'd done a lot of with Draco, and it was one of the things he regretted about his son's childhood – not spending enough time with Draco when he was a child.

"You can be the blue dragon and the red dragon," Scorpius said, passing two small dragons to his grandfather. "You have to make dragon noises. Can you do that?"

"Instead of making dragon noises, how about we give the dragons voices?" Lucius suggested, not really fancying the idea of roaring like an idiot.

"How?" Scorpius asked with wide eyes.

Reaching for his cane, Lucius pulled his wand from the top and used it to cast enchantments on his grandson's toy dragons, causing the little figures to roar like real dragons.

"Wow," Scorpius cried in amazement. "Dad, look what Grandpa Lucius did."

"Amazing," Draco replied with a smile.

"Come on then young Scorpius, let's play dragons," Lucius said, picking up one of the dragons, ready to do battle with his grandson.

Despite never having done anything like it before, Lucius soon found himself caught up in the game of dragons. In the midst of it all, he was aware of Hermione entering the room and settling herself at Draco's side. He was also aware of his wife asking questions about the baby, and congratulating them on the fact they were having a girl.

"Are you looking forward to having a sister, Scorpius?" Narcissa asked when there was a break in the dragon play.

"No," Scorpius replied with a pout. "I wanted a brother."

"Better luck next time, Scorp," Blaise chuckled, ruffling his godson's hair affectionately.

"Next time?" Scorpius's eyes widened in horror as he gazed at his parents. "Are we having another baby?"

"No, just the one," Hermione assured her son with a light laugh.

"But maybe in the future, we'll have another one and that one might be a boy," Draco said.

"No," Scorpius said with a shake of his head. "No more babies."

"Let's not worry about something that might never happen," Hermione said lightly. "Go and wash your hands, Scorpius, dinner is nearly ready."

"Come on squirt, I'll take you," Blaise offered as he got to his feet.

"Last one there, is a rotten egg," Scorpius called as he took off and ran laughing from the room, Blaise hot on his heels.

"He seems fond of Blaise," Lucius remarked as he used his cane to help himself back to his feet.

"He is," Draco answered. "Blaise is family."

"We get the message, Draco," Lucius said with a slight chuckle. "I understand that Blaise is an important part of your life, and I'm very grateful for him for being there for you when I wasn't."

"Yeah well, he's a good friend," Draco replied with an awkward shrug. He knew they couldn't ignore the past, but he felt as though things would be easier with his father if they didn't dwell on the mistakes Lucius had made.

"Shall we move into the dining room," Hermione suggested. "We don't want Scorpius to eat everything in sight."

"He's a growing boy, he needs his sustenance," Lucius chuckled.

"I swear that boy has hollow legs," Hermione laughed, directing Lucius and Narcissa into the dining room as she and Draco headed for the kitchen to grab the food.

Hermione had made a traditional roast beef dinner, and Lucius was mightily impressed with the fact she'd done everything herself. In fact the meal was almost as good at what he would expect the elves to make at the manor.

"Mum, can I have another pudding?" Scorpius asked, eyeing up the platter of Yorkshire Puddings.

"You've already got three on your plate," Draco pointed out.

"But they're the best," Scorpius replied, picking one of the puddings up and dunking it in his gravy before stuffing it into his mouth.

"You can have one more," Hermione allowed. "But only once you've finished everything on your plate. Including the sprout you're hiding under your mashed potato."

"I don't like sprouts," Scorpius whined.

"Yes, you do," Hermione said. "Don't be picky, Scorpius. Eat your dinner, and then you can have another pudding."

"Yuck, sprouts," Scorpius sneered, pushing the round vegetable around his plate as his polished off everything else.

Chuckling at his grandson, Lucius watched in amusement as Scorpius waited until Hermione wasn't watching him before flicking his sprout from his plate onto Blaise's. Lucius witnessed Blaise giving Scorpius a conspiratorial wink as he speared the sprout with his fork and popped it into his mouth.

"Mum, can I have another pudding now?" Scorpius called.

"Is your plate clean?" Hermione checked. "Have you eaten everything?"

"Every last sprout," Scorpius lied, sounding like a little angel.

"Then you can have another pudding," Hermione said as her son reached for one of the few remaining Yorkshire Puddings. "And thank Uncle Blaise for eating your sprout for you."

"What are you suggesting, Hermione?" Blaise asked in mock outrage.

"I'm suggesting that I know you and my son far too well," Hermione replied with a smile. "I know the trick you play. When you think I'm not watching, Scorpius moves whatever he doesn't want to eat onto your plate and you eat it for him. Do you think I'm stupid, Blaise?"

"No, but you're a damn sight more observant than I gave you credit for," Blaise muttered.

"You can't get anything past my wife," Draco said proudly.

"Just you remember that when Scorpius gets older and the pair of you are scheming together," Hermione said as she got to her feet and began to gather the plates.

"As if we would scheme," Draco tutted, helping his wife clear the table.

Once the dinner plates were cleared, with Hermione promising to keep the leftover Yorkshire Puddings for her son, dessert was brought out. Dessert was a large black forest gateau, and it was every bit as delicious as the main course.

"This is beautiful," Lucius informed his daughter-in-law. "You have a real talent in the kitchen."

"I'm afraid I can't take credit for the dessert," Hermione said. "Molly dropped it over this morning."

"Granny Molly makes the best cakes," Scorpius said, licking cream from his lips.

"I'll second that," Blaise agreed with an appreciative nod. "This is lovely. Is there more?"

"Help yourself," Hermione said, gesturing to the half eaten cake in the centre of the table. "I'd hate to have to tell Molly that her cake wasn't finished."

"Don't worry, it'll be finished," Blaise said, diving in for seconds. "Here Scorp, have some more."

"Don't give him too much," Hermione warned.

"Yeah, if he's sick tonight, you're staying to look after him," Draco threatened.

Luckily Scorpius didn't eat too much, and he bounded from the table, eager to play some more. When Draco offered to clear up for Hermione, so she could join their son in the front room, Lucius hung back so he could speak to his son in private.

"Thank you for today, it's meant a lot to me," Lucius said softly.

"It's meant a lot to me too," Draco admitted. "Even a few months ago, I didn't think this would be possible."

"I'm pleased it is though," Lucius said. "I'm just sorry it's taken me so long to see sense."

"You always have been a stubborn man," Draco snorted.

"I have," Lucius agreed.

"Not that it matters now," Draco added. "I just want to draw a line in the sand and start over. I don't want to wallow in the past and go over what was said and done. Today should be the start of our new beginning."

"It should," Lucius said with a nod. "And I don't want to spoil things, but I have to ask. Scorpius's reference to Granny Molly, he meant Molly Weasley, didn't he?"

"He did," Draco replied shortly. "And don't for one minute think that will stop now you and Mother are back in our lives. Molly and Arthur are his grandparents. They've been there for Scorpius his entire life, and they've been there for Hermione and I since the beginning."

"Something which I can't claim to have done," Lucius said, finishing his son's sentence.

"No you can't," Draco said. "But that doesn't stop you from being there now. But you will have to accept the Weasleys are part of our lives, they're our family."

"I can accept that, as long as there is room for your mother and I," Lucius admitted. Accepting the Weasleys wouldn't be easy, but he was guessing their paths would only cross on a few occasions and even he could manage a couple of hours a year being civil to Arthur Weasley and his motley crew of redheads.

"There's room," Draco replied in a quiet voice. "But only if you really have changed. I'm warning you now, father, if you break my son's heart, I will break you."

"I would rather die than hurt Scorpius," Lucius vowed sincerely. "I am going to be a good grandfather to him and the new baby, Draco. I swear to you. I will prove to you that you were right to give me a second chance."

Not wanting to waste the second chance he'd been given, Lucius returned to the front room where his grandson was playing, and he spent most of the afternoon helping Scorpius draw a picture of Hogwarts. By the time he and Narcissa left, he had hope that their visit would be the first of many, and he was even hopeful that in time Draco would see fit to bring his family to the manor. It would be good for the manor to be full of Malfoys again, and he couldn't wait to show his grandson around the home which would one day belong to him and his family.


	25. Chapter 25

Following an afternoon with his new grandparents and his favourite uncle, Scorpius was in high spirits and he was still bouncing off the walls as Hermione tried to get him ready for bed. Even after he was in his pyjamas and was picking a bedtime story, he was still chattering on about the day. He was especially keen to talk about the spell Lucius had placed on his toy dragons, which was only just wearing off and every now and again a small roar could be heard from Scorpius's toy chest.

"Mum, is Grandpa Lucius really old?" Scorpius asked, handing his mother a story book as he climbed into bed.

Hermione frowned, mentally trying to work out how old her father-in-law would be. She knew from a few things Draco had said that his parents had been married a few years before he came along, and that they'd been married shortly after Narcissa had left Hogwarts. She'd also gotten the impression over the years that Lucius was younger than Molly and Arthur, but would have been older than Harry's parents. And since Molly and Arthur were only in their early sixties, she was guessing that Lucius hadn't even reached that landmark yet.

"No Scorpius, he isn't really old," Hermione said. "Why would you think he was old?"

"He has a walking stick, and Grandpa Richard said walking sticks were only for old men," Scorpius replied seriously.

Hermione chuckled, knowing exactly what her son was referring to. The previous winter her father had broken his ankle in a skiing accident, and he'd had to use a walking stick to help him walk for several months afterwards, and he spent the entire time complaining that he felt like an old man in need of support to help him walk.

"Your Grandpa doesn't have a walking stick, it's a cane," Hermione explained to her son.

"It looks like a walking stick to me," Scorpius snorted.

"Perhaps," Hermione said with a slight nod. "But you saw today that it's where your grandpa keeps his wand."

"So he has a cane for his wand?" Scorpius checked.

"That's right," Hermione replied with a nod. She did suspect that in the right circumstances Lucius wouldn't be opposed to using his cane as a weapon, but she wasn't about to tell her young son that.

"When I get my wand can I get a cane to keep it in?" Scorpius asked.

"You can't go to school with a cane," Hermione laughed.

"Why not?" Scorpius questioned with a frown. "I could poke the annoying people."

"You will do no such thing," Hermione said sternly.

"Aww, but I want a cane," Scorpius whined. "I want to be like Grandpa Lucius. Do you think I could grow my hair?"

"You want long hair?" Hermione asked.

"Maybe not," Scorpius replied thoughtfully as he tilted his head to one side. "It could get in my way. But I still want a cane. Can I get one for my birthday?"

"No cane," Hermione said with a firm shake of her head. "If you want to get one when you're older, that's your choice. But you are not getting a cane now, and you are not getting one with your wand."

"That sucks," Scorpius pouted.

"That's life kid, you can't always get what you want," Hermione chuckled. "But I can give you a bedtime story."

"I suppose that will do," Scorpius said with a sigh. "But I'm going to ask Dad about a cane."

"You do that," Hermione muttered with a roll of her eyes, knowing full well that Draco wouldn't agree to Scorpius having a cane when she'd already said no. Even though her husband was more prone to spoiling their son, he would never dream of agreeing to something Hermione had already refused.

By the time Hermione had read Scorpius his bedtime story he was finally starting to look tired. However, he still wasn't there so she read him a second story, which by the end, his eyes were closed and he was drifting off to sleep.

"Night, sweetheart," she whispered, lightly kissing her son's forehead and brushing his soft blond hair away from his eyes.

Turning on the night-light, she flipped off the other lights in Scorpius's bedroom and gently pulled the door virtually shut behind her. Heading back downstairs she found Draco waiting for her in the living room, with two steaming cups of hot chocolate. Her husband was also nursing a glass of fire-whisky and Hermione couldn't help but wish she had a crisp glass of wine to enjoy. But in her state there would be no wine, or any other alcohol, for several months.

"I thought you'd gone to bed as well," Draco said with a chuckle as Hermione flopped down beside him.

"Scorpius was in fairly high spirits," Hermione admitted. "He had a good day today."

"I know," Draco replied with a slight nod.

"And did you?" Hermione asked.

"I did," Draco admitted, the corner of his mouth curling up in a slight smile. "Father seems genuine."

"Yet you don't sound entirely sure," Hermione said, noting the hesitance in Draco's voice.

"I believe he means what he says, and I believe he thinks that he can cope with the people in our lives," Draco said cautiously.

"But you don't?" Hermione queried. "He seemed to handle Blaise's presence just fine. And I know you invited Blaise as a test for your parents."

"One they both passed," Draco agreed with a nod. "But Blaise isn't the only person they will have to accept. There's your parents, and the Weasleys."

"Ah, is this about Scorpius mentioning Granny Molly?" Hermione asked.

"Father asked me about it," Draco admitted. "I made it clear that the Weasleys were family, and he could either accept it or he could walk away again. He said he could accept it, but I'm worried he won't be able to handle the reality. And I'd rather know if this is going to work, before Scorpius gets too attached."

"I hate to break it to you sweetheart, but our son is already attached," Hermione said gently. "He wants a cane like your father. He even considered growing his hair before deciding it would get in his way. He's already smitten, Draco."

"I know," Draco sighed. "Damn, I did not think this through. I was so bowled over by what he did for you and Scorpius in Diagon Alley, that I never considered the wider implications. I never gave much thought as to his ability to adjust to what our lives are like."

"Maybe he'll surprise you," Hermione suggested. "Like you, I believe your father is genuine in wanting to make amends. And no-one is saying he has to be best friends with the Weasleys. All he has to do is accept them as part of our lives."

"And what about when he sees them with Scorpius?" Draco questioned. "He's just getting to know Scorp, but Molly and Arthur have known him forever. Scorpius is much more affectionate with them."

"He'll get there with your parents in time," Hermione said.

"Only if he sticks around," Draco grumbled. "I can't believe I've let him meet Scorpius without checking all this our first."

"Then why don't we give your parents another test?" Hermione suggested. "Let's ask all our friends and family over for a picnic or barbecue. It'll give your parents a chance to meet everyone and to see what they mean to Scorpius. And if they can't handle it, then at least we'll know and we can be there for Scorpius when he finds out his new grandparents aren't sticking around. But for the record, I don't think that's going to happen. I don't think Lucius will like mixing with Weasleys, but I do think he will do it for you and Scorpius."

"I wish I had your faith," Draco sighed. "But it's hard to believe in him after what happened."

"I know." Wrapping her arms around Draco, Hermione pressed her lips to her husband's cheek. "You've already given him a second chance, so let's not fear the worst. He hasn't let you down yet."

"Let's just hope he doesn't disappoint me in the end," Draco muttered. "Let's organise a gathering, and we'll see how much he means what he says. At least this way, I'll know for sure whether I've made the right decision to give him a second chance."

Picking up her hot chocolate, Hermione silently prayed that Lucius wouldn't let Draco down a second time. She knew how much it had taken for her husband to give his father a second chance, but she was well aware that it was also his last chance. If Lucius messed up again, that it would it and there would be no going back. One wrong step from Lucius would cost him his family forever.

**{}{}{}{}{}**

Narcissa rarely visited Lucius at work, but after having lunch with Draco and receiving an invitation to a garden party her son was throwing, she decided to call into Lucius's office and tell him about the invitation. Or rather she wanted to prepare her husband as while Draco hadn't said as much, she knew the party was a test for her and her husband. He'd made a big deal of the fact all their friends and family would be present, and reading between the lines, Narcissa knew he was meaning the Weasleys would be present. Not to mention Hermione's parents, who were muggles.

Despite not visiting Lucius's office very often, the staff all knew who she was and she had no trouble gaining access to the executive floor where her husband's office was located. Nor did she have any trouble getting past Lucius's assistant and entering his large, luxurious office.

"Narcissa." Looking up from the paperwork he was studying, Lucius flashed a warm smile at his wife. "This is a surprise. I didn't expect to see you this afternoon. I do hope nothing is wrong."

"Nothing is wrong, I just thought I would call in and see you," Narcissa replied, perching on the end of her husband's desk.

"Hmm," Lucius muttered, not at all convinced by his wife's claims as she never just popped in to see him. "And the real reason for your visit?"

"You can read me like a book," Narcissa remarked with a sigh.

"I just know you better than anyone else," Lucius replied with a smile. "So what's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong," Narcissa said. "I've just had lunch with Draco, and he invited us to a garden party next weekend."

"How perfect, I can give him these," Lucius said, indicating the papers on his desk.

"What is it?" Narcissa asked.

"Several things," Lucius replied. "First, I've got all the documentation reversing his disinheritance. He's once again my legal heir and will have access to the Malfoy vault and properties."

"I'm so pleased, Lucius," Narcissa gushed, squeezing her husband's hand in approval. "I'm sure it'll mean a lot to Draco."

"Well, it never should have happened in the first place," Lucius muttered, glancing up at the portrait of his father and wishing he hadn't been so influenced by a dead man.

"What else do you have?" Narcissa probed, aware that Lucius could get distracted by thoughts of his stern father.

"Two new bank accounts," Lucius said, turning his attention back to the paperwork. "One is for Scorpius, and the other is for his sister. I've put the same amount in each, but I've asked the goblins to work out how much interest Scorpius's account would have earned had I set it up when Hermione was expecting him. When they get back to me with the figure, I will add that to his money. I was thinking the accounts could be accessed once the children leave Hogwarts, and I plan on setting up the same deal for any future grandchildren."

"That's lovely," Narcissa said. "I just hope Draco doesn't think we're trying to buy his affection."

"It's what we would have done if we hadn't been estranged," Lucius pointed out. "My father did the same for Draco when we were expecting him. Draco will understand that it's something that would have happened even if we hadn't fallen out."

"Well I think you're doing the right thing, Lucius," Narcissa assured her husband. "You're proving that you're serious and genuinely want to make things right."

"I do," Lucius whispered "And there's one more thing. I hope you don't mind, but I've signed over the villa in Greece to Draco and Hermione. Call it a belated wedding gift."

"Greece?" Narcissa frowned. "We've barely used it. Is it in any condition to be given as a gift? wouldn't one of the other villas have been more appropriate?"

"I picked that particular villa for a reason," Lucius said. "Can you remember we went there when Draco was seven or eight?"

"I can," Narcissa replied, recalling the holiday in question. "It was a lovely holiday."

"It was also one of the only true family holidays we had," Lucius said. "Usually our holiday destination depended on where I had business to attend to. I used to juggle business with a holiday for you and Draco."

"You're a busy man, Lucius," Narcissa argued defensively. "We understood."

"I wasn't so busy that I couldn't spare a couple of weeks for my family," Lucius snorted. "I was selfish, Narcissa. I liked using the excuse of going to a business meeting to get out of looking after Draco. But that holiday in Greece was different. It was just the three of us for two weeks, and we had a good time. It was one of the only times I was a real father to Draco."

"And you're hoping the villa will remind him of those good times?" Narcissa asked softly.

"Do you think it's stupid?"

"No, I think it's a wonderful idea," Narcissa said, bending over and kissing her husband firmly on the lips. "Never let it be said you don't have a heart."

"Not so loud, you'll ruin my reputation," Lucius joked with a smile as he pulled Narcissa onto his lap. "How do you fancy sneaking off and spending an afternoon just the two of us?"

"That would be delightful," Narcissa replied. "But I do think I should mention this party of Draco's. He made a big point of saying it was for all of their friends and family."

"And?" Lucius questioned distractedly as his hand sneaked its way under Narcissa's skirt.

"And for Draco and Hermione their family includes the Weasleys," Narcissa said, her words causing Lucius to freeze.

"Dammit," he swore. "This is a test, and it's all my fault. I questioned Scorpius calling that woman Nana. Draco made it clear that the Weasleys roles in Scorpius's life wasn't negotiable, and I said I accepted it. He clearly didn't believe me."

"Did you mean it?"

"I don't know," Lucius admitted with a drawn out sigh. "I can't deny it rankles that the Weasleys get to call me grandson family. But Draco was right about one thing. They've been there for him his entire life, and we can't say that. I don't like it, and I don't think I ever will, but I will learn to deal with their presence in Scorpius's life. I don't care how hard it is, or how much I hate it, I will do anything to ensure that I get to keep my family in my life. I've already lost Draco once, I won't do it again."

Narcissa nodded, trusting that her husband meant everything he said. Although to be fair, he wouldn't be the only one struggling with the Weasleys presence in their grandson's life. But like Lucius, she was determined that they wouldn't lose Draco again. She would do whatever it took to keep the family together, even if it meant learning to interact with the Weasleys and treating them like family.


	26. Chapter 26

As everyone gathered at the Malfoys for a fun afternoon, Draco did his best to hide his nerves. Luckily he was adept at hiding his emotions, and he was confident the only person who could see behind his mask and see how nervous he truly was about how the afternoon would unfold was his wife. Fortunately, Hermione knew him well enough not to hassle him and she kept things light and breezy as they greeted their guests.

Almost everyone arrived with some little contribution to the afternoon, whether it be food, drink or toys to entertain the children. But when Molly and Arthur arrived they had several platters of food with them. Molly had made mini cupcakes, a tray of scones with small tubs of clotted cream and home-made jam, and a large gooey chocolate fudge cake, which just so happened to be Scorpius's favourite dessert. And of course Scorpius didn't miss the arrival of his grandparents with food, and before Molly even had a chance to put the cake on the table, Scorpius was eyeing it up.

"It looks yummy Granny Molly," Scorpius said, licking his lips in anticipation of eating the chocolate cake.

"You're not having cake yet," Hermione informed her son. "Go and play with Jamie and you can eat later."

"I want a big piece," Scorpius called as he ran back to join his best friend.

Thanking Molly for the food, Hermione turned around to find her parents arriving, also laden down with food. Her mother had made biscuits shaped like dragons, mini trifles and a large platter of sausage rolls, Scorpius's favourite savoury snack. Since there was no overlap with the food her mother and Molly had made, Hermione was guessing the two women had been in contact beforehand and sorted who was making what.

"Nana Jean," Scorpius cried, running back over to Hermione when he spotted his other grandparents. "Oooh, sausage rolls," he squealed, eyeing up the large platter of savoury snacks.

"Here." Picking a sausage roll off the plate, Jean handed it to her grandson, who gobbled it down at record pace.

"Delish," he declared. "Can I have another one?"

"Take one for Jamie as well," Jean said, handing the small boy two sausage rolls.

"Honestly Mum, you spoil him rotten," Hermione chuckled as her son once again returned to his friend, this time with treats.

"He's my first grandchild, I'm entitled to spoil him rotten," Jean replied with an indulgent smile.

"How are things going?" Hermione father, Richard, asked, his eyes darting around the vast garden searching for unfamiliar faces. "Is everyone here?"

"Mother and Father haven't arrived yet," Draco informed his father-in-law. "But you don't have to worry about them being impolite towards you. They understand they have to be on their best behaviour."

"We're not worried about them insulting us," Jean assured her son-in-law. "We just want this to be a success for you and Scorpius. You deserve to have your parents back in your life, Draco."

"But do they deserve to have me back in their lives?" Draco queried quietly.

"Only you can answer that," Jean said, giving Draco's arm a reassuring squeeze. "But you know that no matter what happens, you'll always have Richard and I. You know we love you, don't you?"

"I do," Draco replied with a smile as his parents-in-law grabbed themselves a drink and headed over to sit with Molly and Arthur.

With almost everyone present, Hermione noticed Draco slip back into the house, and following after her husband she found him in the kitchen, looking pensive.

"What is it?" she asked.

"What if they don't turn up?" Draco asked with a sigh. "Everyone else is here but them."

"We didn't give them a time, we just said afternoon," Hermione pointed out. "I'm sure they'll be here."

As if Hermione's words had summoned Lucius and Narcissa with magic, at that exact moment there was a knock on the front door, and when Draco answered the door it was his parents.

"We're not late are we?" Narcissa asked, noticing the way Draco let out what looked like a relieved sigh at the sight of them.

"Of course not," Hermione said brightly. "Come on through, everyone is in the garden."

"Actually, there's a couple of things I'd like to discuss first," Lucius said.

"Is it bad news?" Draco asked as he steered his parents into the front room and reached for Hermione's hand.

"No," Lucius replied with a slight smile. "I hope you think it's good news."

Reaching into his jacket pocket, Lucius pulled out three envelopes and handed one of them to Draco.

"What is it?" Draco asked without opening the envelope.

"Me righting a wrong I never should have made," Lucius admitted as Draco finally began to open the envelope in his hands. "It doesn't matter how angry I was at you Draco, I never should have disinherited you. It was a mistake and I am deeply sorry."

Even though his father's words had pretty much revealed what was in the envelope, Draco was still choked up to find official documentation reinstating him to the Malfoy family line. Not that money mattered to him, but he would now come into possession of the Malfoy fortune when his father died. But more importantly to Draco, his son would now inherit and would one day own the large manor house which Draco himself had once loved so much.

"Thank you," he finally managed, bobbing his head in his father's direction.

"That's not all," Lucius said, handing over the second envelope. "I don't want you thinking I'm trying to buy your forgiveness. I'm righting the biggest mistake I've ever made by returning you to the family line, and this is something I would have done years ago had I not been so stupid and pig-headed."

Opening the second envelope, Draco's eyes widened at the documentation for two new Gringotts accounts, one in Scorpius's name and the other for the unborn child his wife was carrying. There was a significant amount in each account and Draco listened as his father explained how he'd asked the goblins to calculate the interest rate for Scorpius's account, which was why his held more money than his sister's.

"And I will do the same if you have any more children," Lucius explained.

"This is too much, Lucius," Hermione remarked, gasping at the amount of money he'd put aside for her children.

"It's only right," Lucius insisted. "My father did the same for Draco, and I know it came in handy for him when he left school."

Draco nodded, recalling the similar account he'd had from his grandfather. It was that money which had enabled him to go into business with Blaise, and it had given him a sense of independence as he'd been aware that the money hadn't come from his father.

"Thank you," Draco said again, smiling at both his parents. "And you don't have to worry, I don't think you're trying to buy my affection. I believe this is what you would have done if you'd been around when Scorpius was born."

"And this is what I should have done when you got married," Lucius said, handing the last envelope over to Hermione. "I know it's late, but welcome to the family, Hermione."

"What is it?" Hermione asked, sharing a puzzled glance with Draco.

"Open it and find out," Lucius ordered with a chuckle.

Doing as she was told, Hermione opened the envelope to find deeds to a villa in Greece in her and Draco's name.

"You've bought us a holiday home," she said.

"Technically it was one we already owned," Lucius replied. "But I thought it would be nice for you to have somewhere you can escape to when you need a break. I've had the villa cleaned up since we haven't used it in a long time, but it might need some redecorating."

As his father was talking, Draco had taken the envelope from Hermione, and when he'd seen which property his father had gifted them, he felt a lump forming in his throat. Muttering a thank you to his parents, he sat down on the sofa, gazing down at the documents which transferred the villa in Greece into his ownership.

"We should go outside and say hello," Narcissa remarked, sensing that Draco needed a bit of time alone. "I'm dying to see Scorpius."

"Just go on through to the garden, and feel free to help yourself to food and drink," Hermione said, directing her parents-in-law towards the fun at the back of the house. Once they were gone, she sat down next to Draco, slightly worried about his reaction. "Are you okay?" she asked quietly.

"Fine," Draco whispered in a hoarse voice.

"Do you not like the villa?" Hermione asked, trying to work out what was bothering her husband. "Or do you think your parents are trying to buy your affection?"

"It's a genuine offering," Draco replied as he cleared his throat. "You won't be surprised to hear the Malfoys have holiday homes all around the globe, and I did a fair bit of travelling in my youth."

"I did kind of work that out for myself," Hermione chuckled. Her husband rarely discussed his childhood, but whenever they went on holiday it was hard to find a destination he hadn't already visited.

"The thing is, holidays in our family were determined by where father had business dealings," Draco explained. "More often than not, we would go somewhere nice and father would leave mother and I to have a holiday while he dealt with business. It was no different then being at home, except we got to see some new places."

"And he did the same with Greece?" Hermione guessed.

"Actually, Greece was the one place he didn't focus on business," Draco replied. "The one time we used the villa in Greece, it was for a proper family holiday. I've never forgotten it as it was the only true family holiday we ever had. Father was there the entire time, and it was two weeks of total family unity. It had never happened before, and it never happened since."

"And Lucius remembered," Hermione whispered, understanding why her husband was so emotional about the gift.

"He did," Draco replied with a nod. "Either that, or he got really lucky with the choice of villa."

"I'm fairly sure he gave us the villa because he remembered," Hermione said. "And now we can create our own memories in Greece."

"I'd like that," Draco replied with a smile as he leaned over and pressed his lips against Hermione's. "But for now, let's create some memories here. Let's go and join the fun outside."

Heading back outside, Draco sought out his parents and gave them a proper thank you for the villa. Hermione smiled as Draco and Lucius awkwardly embraced, but the sight gave her hope that despite their difficulties, everything would work out just fine and the tentative reunion would soon be sealed and Lucius and Narcissa were going to become a permanent part of their lives.

**{}{}{}{}{}**

Watching their grandson with the Weasleys proved harder then either Lucius or Narcissa bargained for. It really hit them just how little they knew their grandson as they watched him interact with other people so easily. The boy they were getting to know was forthright and confident, but they were only just seeing his active, fun-loving side. He really was a bundle of fun, and he bounded from adult to adult, soaking up the attention they lavished on him.

"This is killing me," Lucius whispered to his wife as they watched Scorpius snuggling into Molly, singing the praises of her chocolate fudge cake.

"Tell me about it," Narcissa returned, making sure she kept a smile on her face so no-one knew how much she wanted to jump up and scratch Molly Weasley's eyes out.

"But you know what's worse?" Lucius asked with a sigh. "This is all our fault. I'm not saying the Weasleys wouldn't still have been close to Scorpius, but if we'd been around, there would have been no need for them to become surrogate grandparents."

"This is certainly a wake-up call as to what we almost lost," Narcissa agreed with a nod. "I just hope that one day, Scorpius is as comfortable with us as he is with everyone else."

"He will be," Lucius predicted confidently as he wrapped an arm around Narcissa's shoulder.

While Scorpius had greeted them enthusiastically, he wasn't jumping around them in the same way he was doing with everyone else. Whenever he did approach them, he seemed to dial down his excitement. However, he did still seem to revel calling them Grandpa and Nana, and he'd proudly introduced them to his best friend, Jamie Potter. Although even that was hard for Lucius and Narcissa to swallow as they'd never imagined their grandchild would be best friends with a Potter.

"How are you doing?" Pansy Parkinson-Nott asked as she approached the couple and settled in a chair beside them. "This must be so strange for you."

"It is rather," Lucius admitted. "How did you cope?"

While Lucius didn't want to be rude about Pansy, he was aware that of all of Draco's friends she would have found mixing with Gryffindors the hardest.

"By remembering that Draco is happy," Pansy replied honestly. "I can't say I ever would have chosen to mix with Gryffindors, and I dare like to bet they never would have chosen to mix with us either. But we do it for Draco and Hermione. They're our friends and we love them, so we deal with each other. Besides, they're not that bad when you get to know them."

"And I guess we'll be getting to know them," Lucius remarked with another sigh.

"You will be if you want to make this work with Draco," Pansy said bluntly. "He won't give you another chance. You're lucky you're even getting this one. If my parents had behaved like you, I would never have spoken to them again, let alone given them a second chance."

"Has anyone ever told you that you're very brutal?" Narcissa questioned, rather surprised that Pansy was daring to speak to them in such a way, especially since they'd known her since she was a little girl and had been nothing but polite to them in all those years.

"I prefer honest," Pansy replied with a shrug. "And being honest, the pair of you let Draco down big time. So don't do it again, and don't mess up what will be your last chance with him."

With her warning ringing in their ears, Pansy got up to check on her children who were winding each other up and poking at each other.

"Well that was different," Lucius drawled.

"But honest," Narcissa said, agreeing with everything Pansy had said. "She's right Lucius, this is our second chance and I don't want to blow it."

"Neither do I," Lucius admitted. "So what do you say about going to try some of that chocolate cake?"

Agreeing that it was a good idea, Narcissa joined her husband as they made more of an effort to mingle and get to know their son's friends. And as it turned out, Pansy was right and the Gryffindors weren't too bad when you got to know them. However, Lucius and Narcissa were very aware that they would never be comfortable with how much Scorpius clearly adored Molly and Arthur. However, they accepted it as punishment for their own neglect and they vowed that their own feelings would never get in the way, and they would never let on to anyone how much it hurt them to see Molly and Arthur taking the role in Scorpius's life that should have been theirs.


	27. Chapter 27

"Dammit," Hermione cursed as she tried and failed to zip up the dress she had especially chosen to wear at the opening of Gold Diamond.

Hermione had picked the dress out several weeks earlier, before she, Draco and Scorpius had taken a quick trip to Greece to check out the villa Lucius and Narcissa had gifted them. However, it had never occurred to her that the dress wouldn't still fit just a few short weeks later. Although to be fair, she should have considered the possibility considering she was pregnant and it was becoming more obvious with each passing day.

"Problem?" Draco asked as he strolled out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist.

"My dress is too small," Hermione replied with a sigh. "So now, I have to find something that fits."

"Nonsense." Reaching for his wand, Draco turned Hermione around and muttered a few spells that enabled him to zip the dress up perfectly. "It's what magic is for, sweetheart," he said with a chuckle, giving her a peck on the cheek.

"This baby is making me forgetful," Hermione muttered, slightly embarrassed that she hadn't thought of something as simple as using magic to alter the dress.

"It'll be worth it when she's here," Draco said as he started to slip into his designer suit, not bothering with underwear.

"I very much doubt we can deny her arrival tonight," Hermione mused, turning to the mirror and finding her baby bump was more pronounced than she'd realised. "That cat will be well and truly out of the bag once the press sets eyes on me tonight."

"I hate to break it to you, Hermione, but the cat was out of the bag weeks ago," Draco said. "Rumours started flying after the incident in Diagon Alley. Father made enough fuss so that plenty of people heard you were pregnant."

"True," Hermione conceded with a nod of her head. "And that was hardly the last of the matter."

True to his word, Lucius had made sure that both boys were punished for their role in Hermione's accident. He'd also been front and centre of a new rule being administered declaring that muggle transport was not permitted in public spaces like Diagon Alley. And even though Lucius had never mentioned Hermione's pregnancy while speaking to the press about the new rule he'd insisted be put into place, the rumours had already been circulating. Although Hermione suspected that even though Lucius had remained tight-lipped about the pregnancy, his clear joy at having another grandchild would be visible for everyone to see.

"Anyway, I don't think our upcoming arrival will be the talk of the evening," Draco remarked.

"Then what will?" Hermione asked, settling at her dressing table to add her jewellery. "Don't tell me Blaise is finally going to settle down. I could just picture Blaise hijacking one of your openings to announce he was getting married."

"I could certainly see him taking the limelight, although I'm not sure I can see him getting married," Draco chuckled. "Blaise is a confirmed bachelor. He has too much fun as a single wizard to give it all up for one woman."

"So what will be the big talking point of the evening?"

"Two guests who haven't appeared at one of my opening nights since Black Diamond launched over a decade ago," Draco replied.

"Your parents," Hermione gasped.

She could recall the fuss that had been made when Lucius and Narcissa hadn't attended the opening of Red Diamond, and since then their absence had been noted by the press at every business launch Blaise and Draco had hosted. So, of course the fact they would once again be there to support their son would be big news. Possibly even big enough to distract from the fact Hermione was very clearly only a few months away from giving birth to the next Malfoy.

"We may have all kept quiet on the distance between us, but you know how the press has speculated," Draco remarked. "Rumours are already circulating that we're back in touch. This will just make it official."

"I say we just do what we always do, and keep quiet," Hermione said. "We rarely comment on private matters, and this is no different. Let the press say what they want, we know the truth."

"As always, I plan on leaving Blaise to deal with the press," Draco informed his wife. "Leave him to be the charming one. I'm only going to the damn opening because it's expected."

"You'll enjoy it when we get there," Hermione predicted. "And then you've got tonight to look forward to. Since my parents have Scorpius for the whole night, we'll be alone when we get back."

"Now you make me wish we weren't going," Draco chuckled, taking Hermione into his arms as she got up from the dressing table. "I'd much rather spend the evening alone with you."

"Me too, but this is important," Hermione said, gently pecking her husband on the lips. "It's important that the launch goes well and the hotel gets off to a good start. Especially as you're already looking at your next venture."

"We're more than looking at it, we closed the deal on a building in Hogsmeade yesterday," Draco said. "Come tomorrow, works starts on our new project."

"And does this project have a name yet?" Hermione asked as she grabbed her bag and checked she had everything.

"We're torn," Draco admitted, taking hold of Hermione's arm and escorting her downstairs. "Blaise is favouring Rainbow Diamond, but I would rather stick to solid colours. I was thinking Orange Diamond, or even the one that was originally next on our list – Silver Diamond."

"I like Orange Diamond," Hermione said. "But I do think you should use Rainbow Diamond at one point. I just think you need the right venture for that name."

"I'm sure we'll come up with something eventually," Draco said, connecting the floo to his new hotel and handing Hermione some floo powder.

In a whirl of emerald flames, Hermione vanished from her house and landed in a stunning ornate fireplace, several of which lined the wall in a long, elegantly decorated corridor. No sooner had Hermione emerged from the fire than a wizard wearing the staff uniform of Gold Diamond appeared, welcoming her by name and checking her journey had been quick and pleasant.

"I like the personal service," she remarked to Draco as her husband alighted from the fire right behind her.

"All floo visitors will be greeted personally and escorted to reception where they can check in," Draco said. "And we will also have staff on the front door, and in the room where the Port Keys will arrive. Of course, we have no Port Keys arriving tonight. Aside from a select few guests, everyone will be arriving via the front entrance."

"That's only so they get the full affect," Hermione chuckled. She'd visited the hotel several times, but the first time she'd arrived via the front entrance, she'd been blown away by the opulence and luxury that greeted new arrivals.

"We do want to encourage people to come and stay," Draco said as they left the corridor where the fires were located and made their way towards the main ballroom.

Several rooms on the ground floor of the hotel had been opened for the party, and gold carpet ran around the open rooms and the corridors leading to the open rooms. The idea was that as long as you followed the carpet, you couldn't get lost. As with all of Blaise and Draco's openings, the guest list had been carefully selected to include friends, family and a smattering of celebrities and important people. And of course, there was a small press contingent, both outside of the hotel and in the main ballroom. However, the rest of the party was strictly off limits to the press, and it was well known that if the rules were broken, Draco and Blaise wouldn't be opposed to freezing out the publication the offending journalist worked for, and no-one wanted to be frozen out by two of the most successful wizards the country had.

Even though the business wasn't anything to do with her, Hermione still had a job to do as Draco's wife and the pair separated as they mingled with the guests. As always, Hermione gave brief greetings to their friends and had quick conversations, instead using her early time at the opening to charm the more important guests. And luckily she was on first name terms with almost all of the important Ministry officials as she still worked at the Ministry as a lawyer, albeit on a part time basis these days.

While Draco wasn't fond of the press, and tended to leave dealing with them to his partner, Hermione had no such luxury. She made a point not to encourage the press interest in her life, and in some circumstances she ignored them. But at important occasions like these, she felt as though she had to acknowledge their presence and at least answer some of their questions. Although that evening, the only questions which came her way involved her very obvious baby bump.

"When are you expecting?" a young witch from Witch Weekly asked.

"In a few months," Hermione replied vaguely.

"And are you looking forward to having a new baby?" the reporter pressed.

"The entire family is thrilled and looking forward to the arrival of our newest family member," Hermione said, giving the witch a warm smile before excusing herself and following the gold carpet from the main ballroom into one of the adjoining rooms where the press weren't allowed.

Mingling with the crowds, Hermione raised her hand in greeting when she spotted Molly and Arthur entering the room. Crossing the room, she reached them at the exact same time as Draco, who had appeared from the main ballroom.

"This place is lovely, Draco," Arthur gushed.

"Very posh," Molly whispered.

"I'm glad you like it," Draco replied with a smile. "And are you having a good time?"

"We are," Arthur replied with a nod of his head. "If it's not too expensive, I might book us a night for our anniversary next month."

"Speak to me tomorrow, and I can sort you a discount," Draco replied.

"You don't have to do that," Molly insisted.

"Of course I do, you're family," Draco said, smiling at the older witch.

Smiling back at Draco, Molly took hold of his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Thank you," she said gently. "I just want you to know, we're very proud of you. What you've achieved, and the person you've become, is a credit to you. And we couldn't be happier to call you family."

Hermione chuckled as Molly pulled Draco into a tight hug. But then over her husband's shoulder she spotted his parents, and she couldn't miss the pain etched on Narcissa's face as she watched Draco and Molly together. For a second, she thought that the worst was going to happen, but Lucius whispered something to his wife and with a nod of her head, the expression on Narcissa's face changed into a proud smile. However, Hermione could still see she was hurting and she was guessing it was just hitting the older woman how much of Draco's life she'd missed, and how it had changed.

Informing her husband that his parents had arrived, Hermione slipped her hand into Draco's as they wandered over to Lucius and Narcissa. If she hadn't seen the distraught expression on Narcissa's face, Hermione might not have been able to tell there had been a problem with her mother-in-law as she greeted them both warmly, as did Lucius.

"This place looks pretty spectacular," Lucius remarked.

"It's our biggest project to date, and it's taken a long time to get it just right," Draco replied. "But I'm confident we've managed it."

"I'm sure you have," Narcissa said. "It's wonderful. Something to be very proud of."

"I can give you a personal tour if you would like," Draco offered. Since the reunion with his parents was only recent, they hadn't seen the hotel like everyone else they were close to.

"We'd like that," Lucius said with a smile.

"We would," Narcissa confirmed, squeezing Draco's arm. "We're very proud of you, Draco. You didn't let our mistakes pull you down. You worked hard, and you deserve all this success."

"Thank you," Draco said. "Would you like your tour now?"

"Will you be joining us?" Lucius asked Hermione.

"I don't think so, I've seen it all before," Hermione replied. "To be honest, I could do with five minutes off my feet. I'm just going to find a quiet corner somewhere and rest for a while."

Accompanying Draco and his parents back to the main ballroom, before they headed off on their guided tour, Hermione wasn't surprised by the flash of cameras at the sight of the four Malfoys. The picture would certainly be a first, and Hermione was guessing it would make all the papers. But as long as the hotel was mentioned and Draco and Blaise got their publicity, she doubted if it mattered how it came about. So what if the Malfoys made the headlines, it was Gold Diamond that was the star of the show.

**{}{}{}{}{}**

"What are you doing?" Narcissa asked her husband as she entered his study to find him messing about with a large, gold picture frame.

"This came this morning," Lucius replied with a grin, showing Narcissa a glossy picture of them with Draco and Hermione.

The picture had been taken a few days earlier at the opening of Gold Diamond. After the initial flurry of pictures, Lucius had collared one of the photographers and paid him to take a proper picture of his family. The condition was it was not to be sold to any of the papers, and Lucius was to receive the only copy.

"It's lovely," Narcissa remarked, unable to stop staring at Draco and Hermione, who kept turning to look at each other and exchanging loving smiles just as the picture had been taken. "They look so perfect together."

"They do," Lucius agreed quietly. A few months ago such an admission would have almost killed him, but he was turning over a new leaf, and doing his best to leave his old self and opinions behind him. "And I want it framed and on the wall before this afternoon."

Narcissa gulped nervously at the thought of what the afternoon held. Draco was bringing his wife and son to the manor for the first time, and Narcissa prayed everything ran smoothly. It was the final hurdle in their reconciliation, and if all went well, it would be safe to say the Malfoy family was back where they belonged – together.

"Don't worry, everything will be perfect," Lucius assured his wife, returning his attention to the picture he was attempting to frame.

Half an hour later, the picture was hanging in pride of place above the fireplace in the main living room, and when Draco and Hermione arrived with Scorpius, it was the first thing they noticed.

"I was hoping we could have an official portrait done of us all," Lucius said. "But I thought it might be best until the baby has arrived, then we can all be on it."

"That would be nice," Hermione said, her eyes still riveted to the picture on the wall.

Even with her hopes of a reconciliation between Draco and his parents, she'd still never thought that one day her picture would be hanging on one of the walls of Malfoy Manor. It truly made her feel like a Malfoy, and she truly felt as thought Lucius and Narcissa were well on the way to fully accepting her as Draco's wife and an important part of the family. They'd come a long way in a few short months, and Hermione hoped this was only the beginning, and that the future was bright for all of the Malfoys.


	28. Epilogue

**Epilogue.**

"Is she here yet?" Scorpius whined, looking up as the door to the waiting room opened and Molly and Arthur returned from getting a drink.

Currently there was a bit of a gathering at St Mungo's as they awaited the news that Hermione had finally given birth. Hermione had been admitted the previous evening, and ever since there had been a presence of some sort at the hospital. Not wanting Scorpius to be at the hospital all night, Richard and Jean had stayed with him at Draco and Hermione's, but not wanting to miss the birth of their granddaughter, they had arrived at the hospital first thing that morning with Scorpius in tow. However, it was now nearly lunchtime and the newest Malfoy had yet to make her appearance.

"I don't think so, Scorp," Molly replied gently.

"Babies tend to come in their own time," Narcissa said.

"But Dad said she was coming yesterday," Scorpius argued with a pout.

"Babies are unpredictable creatures," Blaise said, tugging Scorpius onto his lap. "Take you for example. When your Mum was pregnant with you, you were a little terror making her sick all the time."

"I did that?" Scorpius asked with wide eyes.

"You did," Blaise confirmed. "Your Mum was sick as a dog for the whole nine months. But then when it came time for you to be born, you were so eager to meet us you shot out in record time."

"So why doesn't the baby come out?" Scorpius asked. "Doesn't she want to meet us? Doesn't she know I'm waiting for her?"

"I'm sure she would hurry right along if she knew the great Scorpius Malfoy was waiting for her," Blaise retorted with an affectionate roll of his eyes.

"Someone should tell her," Scorpius announced with a nod. "Grandpa Lucius, can you go and tell the baby I'm waiting to meet her?"

"I'll try and pass the message onto your father," Lucius said with a chuckle as he got to his feet, deciding he would see if he could catch a medi-witch and find out some news about his daughter-in-law.

"Make sure to tell her I haven't got all day," Scorpius said primly as he hopped off Blaise's lap and settled himself in the corner with his sketch pad and coloured pencils. "I'm writing a new book, over here. I don't have time to wait around for babies."

Leaving Scorpius to mutter to himself about stupid babies making him wait, Lucius slipped out of the relatives room and headed towards the reception area of the maternity ward. Speaking to one of the witches manning the desk, he enquired after Hermione and she slipped off down the corridor and into one of the private rooms. A few seconds later, Draco emerged looking tired as he ran his hand through his hair.

"Any news?" Lucius asked.

"We're getting there very slowly," Draco replied as he leaned against the corridor wall. "It could be several more hours yet. Poor Hermione is going crazy. It may have been an easy pregnancy, but the birth is certainly taking a long time."

"Blaise was just saying the same thing to Scorpius," Lucius said. "He implied that Hermione's first pregnancy was tough."

"Very," Draco confirmed with a nod. "But the birth was easy. Scorpius was here in under an hour. But not this little one, she's a stubborn thing."

"Like her father," Lucius said with a small smile.

"Her mother has her moments as well," Draco replied with a chuckle. "As do her grandparents," he added gently, his tone letting Lucius know he wasn't having a dig, just stating a fact.

"At least she comes by it honestly," Lucius remarked.

"How's Scorpius doing?" Draco asked. "If he gets bored, someone might have to take him home."

"He's busy with his new book," Lucius replied. "Although he is getting a bit impatient. He said to tell you to inform the baby he's waiting to meet her. Apparently that will hurry her along."

"I'll make sure to pass the message along," Draco laughed. "I should get back to Hermione."

"You go and be with your wife," Lucius encouraged his son. "And don't worry about Scorpius, he's got people queueing up to look after him."

Thanking his father, Draco slipped back into the delivery room to pass Scorpius's message onto his little sister, while Lucius returned to the waiting room and informed the interested parties that there was still no news, and no imminent sign of the newest Malfoy.

"Babies are rude," Scorpius sniffed haughtily at his grandfather's announcement. "It's not polite to be late. She's a rude baby, and I bet she's ugly."

"She won't be ugly," Jean said. "She'll be lovely, just like you."

"She'll be ugly," Scorpius predicted matter-of-factly. "All babies are ugly, and bald. Lily was all wrinkly and had no hair when she was born."

"But you had lots of hair when you were born," Molly countered. "All babies are different, Scorpius."

"But I'm the best," Scorpius said with a devastating grin. "No baby will be like me."

"Something I'm sure your mother is grateful for every day," Blaise muttered under his breath, causing a few people to chuckle.

"Is she even coming today?" Scorpius asked with a sigh. "I'm a busy boy, I have things to do."

"How about we go for a walk?" Blaise suggested. "There's a park across the street. We can go and play and someone can come and fetch us when your sister arrives."

"Okay," Scorpius said, putting down his pencils and getting to his feet. "But don't hold your breath, Uncle Blaise," he said, patting Blaise on the arm as he took hold of his hand. "I don't even know if this baby is coming. I think she's changed her mind and isn't going to come. And that would be very rude, after I helped paint her room for her. Don't you think so?"

"I do indeed," Blaise agreed, an amused smirk playing around his lips as he escorted his still chattering godson out of the relatives room and directed him towards the lift.

An hour later, Blaise returned with Scorpius, and there was still no sign of the new arrival. Settling Scorpius back in the corner with his drawing, the adults discussed the possibility of someone taking Scorpius home for some food and rest. However, the discussion wasn't very productive as no-one wanted to leave. Lucius and Narcissa were adamant that they weren't leaving as they'd already missed the birth of their grandson. Richard and Jean were also reluctant to leave as they'd already been with Scorpius all night and risked missing the birth of their granddaughter.

"I guess it's clear to see who are the most dispensable," Lucius remarked under his breath, glancing towards Molly and Arthur.

"Don't you try that on us, Lucius Malfoy," Molly hissed, keeping her voice down so Scorpius didn't become aware of the tension between the adults. "We may not be blood relatives, but Draco and Hermione are our family. We have as much right as anyone to be here."

"No-one is disputing that," Narcissa said diplomatically. While she still wasn't comfortable with the role the Weasleys played in her family's life, she had come to accept it and was very aware that it had only become possible thanks to her and Lucius's bad choices in the past. "I think we're all getting a bit tired and impatient here."

"I don't think I was this impatient when it was my own son being born," Lucius admitted. "But this means the world to us," he added, not liking to open himself up to the Weasleys, but understanding that it could be the best thing to get them to agree to take Scorpius home for a while. "This is a chance we never thought we would get," he continued. "And before you say it, I know we only have ourselves to blame for missing Scorpius's birth. But we are trying to make amends. At any other time, we would take Scorpius home ourselves, but we can't miss this. We can't miss the birth of another grandchild."

"It wouldn't hurt for us to take a break with Scorpius," Arthur gently remarked to Molly. "The poor lad is climbing the walls. A break would be good for him."

"I suppose," Molly agreed with a defeated sigh. "But we will be back," she warned Lucius and Narcissa.

"I expect you will be," Lucius replied with a nod of his head. "Thank you."

However, before Molly and Arthur could gather Scorpius's things together and take the young boy home for a break, a beaming Draco burst into the room, announcing that the newest member of the family had finally arrived.

"What took her so long?" Scorpius demanded as Draco announced he would be the first to see his new sister.

"I think she was just waiting for your message," Draco chuckled. "Once I told her you were waiting for her, she flew out."

"She came by broomstick?" Scorpius asked, his eyes widening in excitement. "That is so cool."

"She didn't come by broomstick, Scorp," Draco laughed as he led his son out of the waiting room. "We discussed this before, she came out of your Mum."

"If you say so," Scorpius said, sounding sceptical of the whole idea, as he had done since Draco and Hermione had tried to explain to him how babies were born.

"I do say so, now come and meet your sister," Draco said, taking Scorpius into the private room where Hermione and the new baby were awaiting their visitors.

Hermione was lying propped up in bed, looking pretty tired after her exertions, but she still managed a smile for her son as he cautiously crept towards the bed. In her arms, dressed in the Babygro which Narcissa had gifted them when she informed them of the pregnancy, was the newest member of the family.

"Come and say hello to your sister, Scorpius," Hermione urged as Draco lifted Scorpius up to sit on the bed.

"Hello sister," Scorpius said, peering down at the baby in his mother's arms. "I guess she's not too ugly," he conceded.

"I guess she's not," Hermione agreed with a chuckle. "So what do you think about names? Is she a Lyra or a Carina?"

"I don't know, ask her," Scorpius said with a shrug.

"She can't talk yet, Scorp," Draco laughed. "We have to make the decision about her name. Which one do you like?"

Scrutinising his sister, Scorpius tilted his head one way and then the other before making a decision. "Carina," he announced.

"Carina it is," Hermione said, smiling down at her newborn daughter. "And when she's older, we can tell her that her big brother picked her name."

"I also drew her a picture," Scorpius said. "It's a unicorn playing in a lake."

"It sounds lovely, Scorp," Hermione said, stifling a yawn.

"You should rest," Draco said to his wife. "How about I take Carina to meet the family? You can have a nap."

"Sounds good," Hermione muttered sleepily as her husband took their daughter from her arms.

Taking Scorpius as well, Draco headed to the relatives room to introduce Carina to their family. As expected, everyone gushed over the little girl and she was passed around the room as everyone wanted a cuddle from the newest Malfoy.

"Do you think I could go and see your wife?" Lucius quietly asked Draco as Narcissa held onto her granddaughter, tears streaming from her eyes.

"She was going to rest, but I guess it'll be okay as long as you're not too long," Draco replied. "You won't disturb her too much, will you?"

"Of course not," Lucius assured his son. "I only need a minute."

Slipping away from the celebrations, Lucius headed to the private room he knew his daughter-in-law was situated. Knocking quietly on the door, he poked his head around the door and found Hermione dozing in bed. Thinking she was sleeping, he turned to leave again only to be stopped by the sound of Hermione calling his name.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you," Lucius said, slipping into the room.

"You're not," Hermione assured him. "There's not a problem with Carina, is there?"

"No, she's been fussed over by everyone," Lucius said with a smile. "I just wanted to come and thank you."

"Thank me?" Hermione frowned in confusion. "For what?"

"For making this all possible," Lucius replied. "I know that if the decision had been Draco's alone, Narcissa and I wouldn't be here. I know that he would never have forgiven us without having you by his side."

"I really didn't do anything, Lucius," Hermione protested. "I won't deny I encouraged him to give you a chance, but it was all Draco's decision. I would have stood by him no matter what he'd decided."

"Perhaps," Lucius remarked with a shrug that revealed he wasn't quite convinced. "But if you'd been a different sort of witch, say someone more like Pansy, then you never would have encouraged the second chance he's given us. I just wanted to let you know that I am very aware of the role you've played in helping Narcissa and I make amends for the past. And I want to let you know how grateful I am to you. Without you, I don't think our family would ever have been reunited."

"I'm glad it was," Hermione said with a smile. "I'm glad to have you and Narcissa in our lives. I know Scorpius loves having you around, and I know Carina will feel the same way. Let's just be grateful that everything worked out for the best."

"That it did," Lucius agreed with a solemn nod.

Impulsively, he gave Hermione a kiss on the forehead and thanked her again, before returning to the relatives room and having a second hold of his granddaughter. With Carina in his arms, and Scorpius bouncing around beside him, Lucius had never felt more grateful for the second chance his son had given him. He wasn't sure if he deserved such a chance, but he was damn well going to make the most of it. Against all odds, he'd gotten his family back and this time he was going to treasure them like the precious diamonds they were.

**The End.**

* * *

**A/N – As always I want to say a big thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read this story, and especially to those who also left a review. **

**Normally this is where I announce my next story, but I'm afraid to say that I've got no more multi-chapter stories finished. I had thought I would have one of my many stories close to completion finished by the end of this story, but current circumstances have changed everything. I think most people around the world are stuck at home, and while for some it might have aided them to write more, it's done the opposite for me. The peaceful time alone when I used to write, is currently gone with everyone at home all day every day. As such, my writing output has been pretty low during this lockdown, but with any luck I will persevere and finally finish some stories.**

**In the meantime, I think I have a few unpublished one shots and collection pieces. But as for longer stories, it might be a few months before I'm back. But I promise I will be back and there is still lots more stories to come from me. **

**So for now, thanks again and everyone stay safe. **


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